Inner Demons
by Aerys Krystie
Summary: Dante gets a surprise visit from his favorite Nephilim and goes on a mission to save a town. Insanity is guaranteed as they have to deal with a succubus, lookalikes, a witch and a crazy uncle.
1. Inner Demons I

**~Inner Demons~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

**Theme:** AU, XOver.

**Plot:** Set two years after "Rogue". Dante is dragged out on another mission to save the world by his favorite Nephilim. Unfortunately, that means having to deal with with things that don't seem possible and Dante finds out what _really_ goes 'bump' in the night.

**Warnings:** Yaoi, sexual content, language, violence, OCs and OOC. (May change as the story goes on as I don't plan these things! Sorry.)

**Disclaimer:** The character/s of Devil May Cry and DNAngel _do not_ belong to me. I make no profit from this story.

* * *

The demon hissed and revealed its ugly self to the son of Sparda, rasping out the hunter's name. The hunter just stared at it, raising an eyebrow. Was it serious? Did it really think it would scare him? He had been to hell and met the ruler. He had fought demons with regenerating properties. He had met his brother on the battlefield. And that demon seriously thought it was something to be feared? What happened to the intelligence that the demons claimed they had?

The hunter spat, unaware that a similar scenario was being played out in a different town, miles from where he was. Both held their blades, with their eyes closed as they thought back to that fight where they faced their brothers. Where they had almost lost their lives. The low level demons had nothing on the perils they faced in that desert. Blue eyes opened and there was a smirk as they stared at hideous creatures before them. They weren't scared. They never were. They were aware of what could be worse.

"You think you're scary? Try dealing with a PMSing angel!"

"You think you're scary? Try dealing with a retard demon!"

The blood of the demons were split and they looked up to the sky. The stars twinkled brightly and they chuckled, turning their backs to the mangled bodies of the hell creatures they had just destroyed. The other was far from their minds but they both knew it wouldn't be too long before they saw each other again. Neither of them were looking forward to it. More to the fact, neither of them were looking forward to what would bring them back together.

* * *

Dante entered the Devil May Cry and threw himself onto the sofa. It had been a boring and tiring job to wipe out a nest of demons. He was spent and all he wanted was to sleep. The last six hours had been hunting them and killing them. Muscles he didn't know existed hurt. He was starving and there was a sweet scent filling the building. He raised his head and looked around. On top of the fridge was a silver tray with éclairs. Blinking, Dante got to his feet and picked one up. Caramel éclairs. As far as the half-demon knew, Patty didn't know how to bake.

After his hunger was under control, Dante removed his coat and went into the bathroom. Life had been pretty much hell after the near-apocalypse. Krad had set up his account so he couldn't spend the money on anything besides paying off his tabs; which he eventually did. He got a little more money sent in from the blond, along with the message 'spend it _wisely_'. Dante did that, naturally. A lot of porn, pizzas and sundaes later…The cracks that Lucifer had made in the earth in order for him to take Vergil down had released a butt load of demons and it had taken Dante the last two years to get them under control.

Dante turned the hot water on in the shower and waited for it to heat up before stripping and stepping under it. That was the last two years of Dante's life in a nutshell. Killing demons. What else could he possibly be doing? Krad often wrote to Patty but never to him. There wasn't a phone call for him and after six months, Dante just gave up. Naturally, when he gave up, he received a phone call from Krad and that was just the blond could hire him. Apparently Krad wasn't aware that if you love someone and you're away from them, you're meant to miss them. Dante had also spent most of the last two years trying to figure out how to change Krad's mind so the blond would go on a date with him. He'd come up with nothing.

Dante closed his eyes and the only thing he could see, the same thing he'd seen for the last two years, was Krad. It had become more frequent in the last three months when Krad sent a picture to Dante that was obviously not meant for children to see. Dante had asked not to be disturbed for the next few hours as he satisfied some urges. It had helped a fair bit with some of his tension and he was still getting turned by women, which was just as annoying. He wasn't going to pay for sex; no way would he sink _that_ low.

Dante washed his body and groaned. He would need a massage. His back was killing him but he didn't exactly want to spend money on something like that. Maybe he could just get Patty to walk along his back at some point the next day. Turning the shower off, Dante stepped out, dried his hair and body and wrapped the towel around his hips, heading to his room. Life could really suck at times and as it was, he'd already rung up tab at the pizza parlor and the ice-cream parlor. He yawned and went to throw himself onto his bed and froze.

Dante came to the conclusion he was so over-tired he was hallucinating. There was no way that Krad was asleep in his bed. Well, that was true because Krad woke up and looked at him. The glowing gold eyes looked tired and worn and Dante got the feeling that the previous two years hadn't been a walk in the park for the blond, either. For some reason, seeing Krad woke Dante up like a hit of adrenaline. And Krad woke up well too, after Dante punched him. The blond jumped to his feet and pinned Dante to a wall, glaring into his eyes. Oh, Dante missed that glare. He missed the hormonal catastrophe like crazy and found himself often wishing Krad would at least visit.

Dante smirked and slipped his hands under Krad's oversized shirt. The blond gasped and went to step back but Dante held on, pulling the ridiculously smaller body against his own. He inhaled the gentle scent of strawberries that seemed to always surround the blond. He moaned in the back of his throat and ran his hands along Krad's back, which he could was rigid but at that moment, Dante didn't care. The skin was so soft and silky, just like everything else on the blond. Krad struggled against him but Dante knew he was enjoying it. If he wasn't, Krad could easily overpower him and make him suffer.

Dante would gladly admit he missed _everything_ about the blond. The sarcastic remarks, the snide comments, their fist fights, the comfortable silences they usually fell into, the glare, the smirk and he even missed the way Krad would ask if he was retarded. It was boring not having anyone around to challenge him and Krad did more than that. The blond drove him _insane_ with his temper tantrums that usually turned violent. The arrogance the Nephilim held. Everything. His attire, his lips, his hair and his eyes. Oh, god especially his eyes.

Dante often had dreams of those eyes glowing with lust and the things he could do to the blond's body. The way he would writhe. The sound of his voice as he begged, whimpered and moaned. Dante wanted to experience it in reality. He wanted Krad to scream his name. Feel his body arch under his touch and taste his blood. He wanted to mark the pale body so everyone would know who the Nephilim belonged to. No-one was allowed to touch Krad. Everything about the blond belonged to Dante, as far as the half-demon was concerned. Krad was his and his alone.

Krad wrapped his arms around Dante's neck, kissing his cheek. "Dante," he whispered heatedly into the half-demon's ear, enticing a groan from the man and for his body to be pulled even closer. "Remove your fucking hands from my body."

"And if I don't?" Dante teased, licking Krad's throat, feeling the blond inhale sharply. "What'll you do? Cut them off so I can't play with you anymore?" Dante smirked against the pale column when Krad shifted, as though he was thinking about it. He hissed when the blond kneed him in the ribs and stepped back, glaring at him. "Or you could just do that."

Krad regarded him coolly. "Get on the bed," he instructed.

Dante liked where that morning was headed. He lied on the bed and Krad walked over to him, removing his shirt. He turned Dante onto his stomach and straddled his rear. Dante moaned and closed his eyes as Krad began kneading at the knots in his back. Krad had small hands but they were powerful. Dante gripped his pillows, eyes rolling back behind his lids. That was better than sex. Well, maybe not as it was turning the half-breed on even more the longer Krad did it. If the blond didn't stop soon, Dante was going to have his way with the Nephilim.

Half an hour later, Krad rolled off the demon spawn. His knees were killing him and he was content to fall asleep until Dante shifted and Krad was forced to open his eyes. Krad smiled softly as Dante stroked his cheek affectionately. He didn't think the son of Sparda had it in him to be so gentle. Krad's eyes widened and he turned his head away as Dante lent in closer. He felt and heard the demon sigh against his cheek and the blond sat up, pulling his shirt back on. He bid a goodnight to Dante and left the room, going into the main area and lied on the sofa.

Dante groaned and let his head fall to his pillows. Krad certainly was a hormonal catastrophe. Only the blond could leave Dante hard and without satisfaction. And yet, Dante expected nothing less from the Nephilim. He wouldn't be Krad unless he fucked with Dante as much as possible. Although, Dante got the feeling it was because the blond wasn't sure how to act in sexual situations. He was over fifteen hundred years old and still a virgin. That had to suck. As soon as Dante turned fourteen, he lost his virginity to the first person that would take it.

_Why is Krad here, all of a sudden?_ Dante sat up but fell back. He decided he could ask in the morning, after he had gotten some rest and after Krad had cooled off from the semi-attack that Dante had placed on him and the sun was up. He didn't want to deal with a pissed off angel, especially if Krad decided to call on his uncle or even his father. Dante closed his eyes and fell asleep almost instantly. At least his back wasn't hurting as bad as it had been an hour ago.

* * *

Krad forced his eyes open for a second time that day as someone shook his shoulder. He moaned and looked at the gray blob standing over him. He rolled over and snuggled into the back of the sofa, wanting to get more sleep. He had spent the last two days flying to see Dante and that was very tiring. He didn't want to be disturbed for another few hours at least but the persistent shaking continued and Krad tried to fall asleep to it. That was the plan until it got more violent and eventually Krad sat up, glaring at Dante for _daring_ to wake him at that ungodly hour.

Dante smirked which turned into laughter as Krad got up, tripped over his own feet and landed on the coffee table, knocking down the card castle he built two years ago. The blond groaned and pushed himself up, falling back onto the sofa and closing his eyes. Dante leaned over it and kissed Krad's cheek, not surprised when he got the back of a fist to his. Dante chuckled and stood straight, rubbing the point of impact. It would seem that Krad wasn't the best morning person and Dante wasn't surprised; neither was he. Still, it was after five in the evening and Dante was bored. Having Krad around meant that his entertainment should go up.

"Wake up, Krad."

"Fuck you."

"It would be more fun the other way around."

"Go to hell and stay there."

"Only if you go with me."

"Seriously, Dante, leave me alone."

"I can't do that."

"You can and you will or I will stab the shit out of you."

Dante stepped back, deciding that his life was better served if his heart was still beating. He watched as Krad fell to the side, asleep again. Dante moved towards his desk, looking at the doors when they opened a woman stepped inside. She raised a thin eyebrow at him and her dark eyes flickered over to the couch, where it was painfully obvious that Krad was asleep there. _And he's _still_ ruining my chances at getting laid!_ Dante threw himself into his chair and kicked his feet up onto the desk.

The woman stepped up to the desk and looked at the demon hunter she had heard so much about. He wasn't exactly what she had been expecting, especially not with a child asleep in the same building as business. But she was told he was the best and she needed the best right then. She perched herself on the edge of one of the chairs, looking at the man that appeared to be napping in front of a client. She bit her lip, wondering if she had arrived at a bad time.

"What can I do for you?"

Dante opened an eye when he heard movement from the sofa and saw Krad standing, staring at the woman. "Azalea?" Krad asked, stepping closer.

The woman looked over her should, her eyes wide as she saw the blond that had helped her town. She thought that gold hair looked familiar. She ran over to Krad and hugged him tightly. "Oh, Krad! I'm so glad I found you. The town, it's being attacked by demons. Most of the people are dead and the ones that live can't believe you left us. Please, Krad, come back with me and help us again."

Krad knew that was going to happen. It was why he had left in the first place. There were just too many demons for him to handle. Okay, that was a lie. Krad could've gotten the townspeople out and leveled their homes, taking out all the demons but he didn't want to resort to that. He had gone to the Devil May Cry to ask Dante for his services, again. Instead, it looked like the woman was going to do it for him but Krad already knew that Dante knew that was the reason for his visit.

"Of course I will, Azalea." Krad detached her arms from his body and smiled. "Just let me shower and change then we can leave." Krad turned his eyes to Dante. "All _three_ of us."

Dante sighed and closed his eyes as Krad left the main area, going for a shower. He knew there was a hidden reason behind Krad's random visit and it wasn't because the blond was looking at getting laid, either. He just had to spend the next two or three days around the blond, killing demons and saving damsels in distress. It was a job, at least. One that would pay him decently, if Krad was hiring him.

The shower went on and Azalea shifted nervously. She was grateful that she had found Krad, as he had helped their town a great deal. It had taken him near to two years but the rundown mining community was back on its feet and thriving. Of course, it only took a few hours of Krad's absence for that to be destroyed. It was like the demons were waiting for him to leave so they could attack. It had been horrible. She had lost her two sisters to those monsters.

A young man entered the building and looked at the woman. Dante remarked on how popular that place had become in the last ten minutes. The shower went off and the man stepped up to Azalea. "Have you hired him, yet, Lea? We really shouldn't be away for too long."

Azalea shook her head, grinning. "No, I haven't hired him, Phim. But I found Krad! And he's agreed to come back to the town and help us again. Isn't that wonderful?"

Dante sat up, staring at the man that had entered. Phim looked like he could be Krad's older brother, with the same kind of golden blond hair, though his was short and fell across one eye and the eye that Dante could see was a sort of medium blue. It wasn't as pale as Dante's but not nearly as dark as Lucifer's. They shared the same pure snowy skin and body type. Though, Phim was taller than five foot two. He was at least six foot but the small frame looked good. Phim glanced at Dante and smiled.

"It is wonderful that you found Krad. I'm glad we decided to come here. So you must be the retarded demon hunter that Krad told us about." Phim looked Dante up and down. "He told us you were the best, even though you ask stupid questions at the wrong times. I'm Phim."

"Dante."

"Krad said something about coming to visit you. I didn't think he would get here before me," Azalea said. "I am so glad he did! The attacks have just been horrible!" She covered her face with her hands as she remembered her lost sisters, Iris and Lilly. They had given their lives to protect her because she was the youngest and now she had to try and survive the apocalypse.

Phim wrapped his arms around Azalea's shaking shoulders, trying to soothe her. He looked up when someone else joined them and his eye widened. _That_ was Krad? That beautiful, delicate looking, little thing was the savior that Lea was going on about? Phim had moved into the town six months ago but hadn't had the pleasure of seeing the one that everyone admired. Phim could understand why Lea constantly went on about Krad's eyes. They were enchanting.

Krad stared at the man that was with Azalea. He didn't trust the other blond and he couldn't understand what it was. He had never seen him before but there was something not right with the one that was hugging his friend. Not taking his eyes off the man, Krad tightened the laces on his boots and straightened. He didn't know that Azalea had brought someone else with her and he would try to be civil considering the woman trusted him. Krad frowned. How could he not know that Azalea had someone else with her? Because she didn't know that the man was with her. He had followed, probably to make sure she arrived safely but Krad doubted it.

Dante watched the Nephilim. There was something on his mind and the half-demon got to his feet, grabbing his coat. Krad had told him that he was joining them, whether he liked it or not and frankly, with the way Krad paid out, he was more than happy to join the little battle. Dante had tried not to smirk when he saw the way Krad froze, seeing the new person in the room. Dante knew he would stare if he saw someone that looked like him. They left the Devil May Cry and Dante locked the doors. He had a bad feeling about that mission.

Dante looked at the hand on his shoulder and then at the blue eye that was visible. Phim grinned at him. "Thanks for joining us. I'm sure Krad is great but having extra help can never be a bad thing." Phim lowered his hand when Dante shrugged it off.

"Krad is one of the best, as well. He might talk down about me but he knows my skills aren't anything to laugh at. So don't judge him because he's small and angelic looking. He could kick your ass down the street before you could blink." Dante stood in front of Phim. "And don't think about trying it. The only person who's allowed to attack Krad is me."

Dante turned and continued walking like that little conversation hadn't happened. There was something about Phim he didn't like. The resemblance to Krad was just too much, even though Krad had said that he was an only child. And even if Krad's mother did have another child it was impossible for it to still be alive. Dante believed the Nephilim when he said he was born a millennium and a half ago and another sibling wouldn't have a beating heart. And yet, there was no demonic presence inside the Krad lookalike. The man was entirely human.

Was it possible that Phim was another Nephilim? Dante shook his head vaguely. No. Krad would've told him if there was another one running around. And Krad would've picked up on it if the man was from the same town that Krad had been living in for the last two years. So what was it about the man that Dante couldn't shake? And why was it that every time Krad appeared in his life he was dragged off somewhere to fight a legion of demons?

* * *

End Chapter I.


	2. Inner Demons II

**~Inner Demons~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

* * *

The train had been delayed for an indefinite amount of time and Dante sighed. No-one knew what had stopped the locomotive and Dante had a suspicion he knew what it was. Krad had told him he was right and the blond went to get them all something to drink while they waited. Dante was getting more impatient and went looking for the Nephilim before Phim or Azalea could. He told them to stay where they were and found the blond talking to one of the guards.

Dante frowned slightly as he stared at Krad's eyes. They were almost hypnotizing and the half-demon smirked. _Getting drinks, huh?_ Without looking at him, Krad raised his hands, showing him the drinks he held and Dante groaned. He really should've known that Krad would always get the best of him when it came to being good. Krad nodded at the guard and stepped around the man, joining Dante who smirked down at him. Krad blushed and looked away and went to move past the hell spawn but was caught by his arm.

"I need to talk to you," Dante said and let go of the blond's arm, who nodded and hurried to drop off the drinks, making up some excuse to the two they were travelling with. He joined Dante again and looked up at him with questioning eyes. "Phim, had you met him before today or was I right at the office assuming you had never seen him before?"

"You were right at the office. I don't remember seeing him around the town before I left and that was only two days ago. It also turns out that the train we're waiting for was the only train to be attacked. We could get on another train heading in that direction and wait for the train to take us to the town. Dante?" Krad frowned and stepped back from the half-demon's hand that was teasing his throat.

"You just look cute when you're thinking," Dante answered with a shrug and crossed his arms over his chest, looking at the two that were accompanying them. They could do what Krad said but without a doubt, there were demons that were stopping them from going to that town for a reason. It wouldn't matter if they went to a different town and then got on a train from there, simply because it was a puzzle for them to figure out. "No, we'll wait for the train here."

Krad nodded and handed Dante a bottle of soda. "The demons will probably be expecting us to do the opposite and go to another town." Krad looked in the other direction. "Did you feel that?"

"Yeah. How like a demon to attack while there are so many innocents around." Dante sighed at the disgrace of them and wondered why more demons couldn't be like his father. "Krad?" Dante watched as the blond walked towards the demon, discreetly pulling out his blades.

Dante went back to Azalea and Phim, who were staring at Krad's retreating figure. They asked what Krad was doing and Dante shrugged. Phim asked why Krad had his blades out and again, Dante shrugged. It wasn't up to him to tell them anything. They should be damn grateful they had a Nephilim that looked out for them as it was. But as humans always did, they questioned that protection. Dante was sure humans often confused their curiosity with their stupidity.

Dante's eyes widened as time stopped. He looked around and saw that he, Krad and the demon were the only ones moving at the normal speed. That was an awesome skill to have, in Dante's eyes. The blond easily removed the demon from their world and looked over his shoulder at the half-demon, flicking the blood off his blades and putting them away. The body of the demon turned to dust and time went back to normal. Azalea and Phim blinked as Krad was suddenly in front of them. They grinned and asked if everything was okay. Krad smiled and nodded.

Dante sat down next to Azalea and closed his eyes. If only they knew. The last thing either half-breed needed were the two humans freaking out because there were demons hunting them. Dante wrapped his arms around Krad's waist as the blond sat on him. There were only seats of three and that was a little stupid, according to Dante. Didn't the idiots that designed that station realize there would be more than three people that would want to sit as they waited for their train? Even if the transport was going to be delayed. It had been two and a half hours since they found out it had been stopped.

Dante's eyes widened and it struck Krad's leg before either of them could move. There was a feathered dart in the white jeans that hid the blond's legs. Dante pulled it out and looked at it, then surveyed the direction it came from. There was nothing out of the ordinary and none of the other waiting people stood out. Whoever shot it at the blond obviously wasn't aware of the fact that nothing could kill him except another angel. Unless that wasn't its intention.

Krad bit his lower lip. There was a dark fire burning in his abdomen and he shifted in Dante's lap. Dante. That name made the fire burn stronger and Krad glared over his shoulder as part of the roof caved in, scaring people. As the humans scuttled to safety Krad stood calmly and withdrew his blades, narrowing his eyes the half-demon. Dante just raised an eyebrow as he watched Krad's actions. So that was their intent? Get the Nephilim to kill him? Were they too cowardly to do it themselves? It was quick with entering the bloodstream, whatever it was.

Dante dropped the dart and told Azalea and Phim to get to safety. They would collect them once they had taken care of whatever had caused the roof to fall apart. They nodded and ran with the crowd, for once not asking any stupid questions. Dante stepped closer to Krad, who didn't flinch. He held his arms up, leaving himself open for an attack from the blond. He knew Krad wouldn't attack him. It didn't matter what was running through the blond's bloo…

"That fucking hurt!" Dante looked at the twin slashes on his chest and glared at the blond. What else could possibly go wrong?

Dante knew that wasn't the most intelligent question to ask but at that moment, he didn't care what else went wrong. He was pissed off at Krad for attacking him. He was pissed off at whoever had shot that dart into the blond's leg. And he was pissed off that he hadn't gotten laid last night. Dante called Rebellion to his hand and blocked Krad's attacks. As he did so, Dante took the opportunity to admire the way Krad fought with his blades. It certainly was beautiful, almost like a dance.

Dante looked at Krad's eyes and smirked. He would win that round. Whoever sent that dart to the Nephilim didn't stop to think that blind rage was usually a bad thing when fighting. Krad's moves were calculated but that was probably the centuries of training he had put himself through and it was just instinct to fight that way. But the half-angel's false anger was getting in his way of landing another cut and for that, Dante was thankful. He didn't want to beat the living tar out of Krad for something that wasn't the blond's fault.

Dante put Rebellion on his back and tripped Krad, pinning the blond to floor and holding his wrists. Krad struggled against him and something happened that Dante wasn't expecting – Krad didn't overpower him. The Nephilim's struggling was as useful as a human struggling against the son of Sparda and Dante didn't understand it. Did the dart make Krad human for the duration that the poison was in him? Dante wondered if he could find the person that had created it and get he or she to make one that involved Krad getting in touch with his pent up sexual tension and releasing it on the half-demon.

Dante studied Krad's eyes. They were still glowing, so it was obvious the blond still had his angel genes in him. Did the poison just lock them away and unleash Krad's anger? What was the point of that? Unless whoever had shot Krad was hoping that Dante would kill the blond while he was more human. The struggling ceased as Krad realized he wasn't going to get anywhere and Dante smirked, licking his cheek. The blond groaned and turned his head away. Dante could _very_ used to a human-ish Krad. All he had to do was wait until the anger in the blond had burned through the poison. He wasn't going to bind and gag Krad for the duration of the trip. That would be difficult to explain to Azalea and Phim.

Holding Krad's wrists with one hand, Dante pulled out Ivory and shot the demon that was running towards them. He didn't have time to deal with that shit. Dante felt a small spike of jealousy as he thought about why only Krad was shot with a dart. Dante might not be a Nephilim but he was just as powerful as Krad was when it came to taking out demons. Of course, Dante wasn't related to three archangels, either, that would come if he called for them. And frankly, there wasn't really anyone that would come if he called. Well, no-one worth mentioning like Michael, Gabriel or Raphael.

Half an hour later the anger in Krad's eyes died off and were replaced with confusion. Dante didn't release the blond, though. He wanted to keep his life and it could be a trick, too. When Krad threw Dante off of him, the half-demon was convinced that Krad was back to being a Nephilim. The blond got to his feet and looked around. He remembered getting shot with the dart and then wanting to kill Dante for something. He could remember fighting the half-demon but that was all. To say Krad wasn't impressed to come to senses and find himself pinned beneath the half-demon was an understatement.

Krad scratched his outer right thigh where the dart had pierced his skin. It was itching like hell and he just hoped that he wouldn't go into a rage like he had done. That had frightened him. Krad _hated_ not being in control of a situation and to lose himself like that was something he had never done. Hell, he didn't even remember what Dante had done that made him so angry at the half-demon, who was watching him with concern.

Krad checked Dante over to make sure he hadn't done any damage. There were two thin cuts in Dante's shirt but the skin was flawless. Krad shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, hating to say those words. Not being able to control himself made him look weak and he didn't want any of the angels in heaven to come down and kill him because they felt he was a menace to the earth.

"As long as you're you again, I don't give a shit." Dante walked up to the blond and tilted his head up. Krad blushed and stepped away, asking where Azalea and Phim were. Dante shrugged. "No idea. I told them to run for safety before they could see their savior get his ass kicked. So, tell me. What was it like?"

"Krad? Oh, thank goodness you're both fine!" Azalea said as she and Phim appeared, almost out of nowhere. They had hidden in the female bathroom. She had peeked out when the sound of their blades clashing had stopped and saw Dante pinning down the angelic boy. She didn't want to interrupt and there was the demon, too. She didn't want to put herself in danger. She might be good with the blades she carried but she wasn't an expert. She was going to ask what happened when their train arrived.

The passengers that were still alive on it, ran out of the open doors, ignoring the law enforcement officers when they were told to exit calmly. The four of them stepped on and Phim asked officers what had happened. They said it was train robbers but the half-breeds knew differently. Azalea said she hoped it wouldn't happen while they were on it and Dante rolled his eyes, throwing himself onto one of the seats and closing his eyes. He blocked out the voices of the people who were talking and thought about the dart. It couldn't have come from nowhere.

A human Krad was both scary and exciting to Dante. Scary because it wasn't what he was used to and exciting because it meant he could get away with anything he wanted. Krad was powerless to stop him and that scared the half-demon. If Krad was powerless, Dante knew he might not be able to control himself as well as he could when Krad was a Nephilim. Dante cracked an eye open when Azalea called out to Krad a few times. The blond groaned and turned his back to the woman. She kept trying and Dante waited for Krad's reaction.

"What the fuck do you people have against me getting some damn sleep?" Krad exploded, glaring at the woman as he sat up. "What is it? What is so god damn important that you need to disturb me?"

The other few passengers in the cart turned to gawk, wondering what was going on. Azalea flinched at the glare and Krad's words. She hadn't meant to upset the blond by rousing him and found that what she was going to ask him had left her. Phim stood beside her. "Krad, there was no need for that. She just wanted to know if you were thirsty after the fight between you and Dante."

"I wouldn't go there," Dante said flatly.

Phim glared at Dante. "Just because he's a hunter doesn't mean he gets to yell at a woman that was only concerned about him."

Dante raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "You're on your own, now."

Krad knew he had never been good at keeping his temper under control. "Look," he hissed, trying to sound calm and failing. "If I was thirsty, I would've gotten myself a drink. I'm just tired and I want some damn sleep. Do not…" Krad trailed off as he felt like he was going to be sick but the feeling died away. There was a sharp pain in his gut but he tried to ignore it. "Do not…"

Dante sat up as Krad began dry reaching, clutching his abdomen. He moved Azalea out of the way and the girl called out if there was a doctor around. One of the passengers stood and walked over to them. Her eyes looked sad, as if she had witnessed a lot of traumatic happenings in her life. She knelt in front of Krad and gasped as blood began trickling from his mouth. Dante got to his feet and said he would take Krad to the bathroom and see if some water would help. Without waiting to hear anything from the doctor, Dante grabbed Krad's wrist and dragged the blond into the small cubicle.

Once inside, Dante locked the door and turned Krad to face him. Grabbing some toilet paper, Dante cleaned up the corners of Krad's mouth, not wanting the blood to stain the white shirt the blond was wearing. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Krad whispered, falling against Dante's chest, his fingers feebly gripping the red leather. "But it doesn't hurt when you touch me."

"Well, where did it hurt?"

"Tummy." Krad didn't care how childish that sounded. It had felt like there were razorblades in his stomach that were churning and stirring everything up.

Dante pulled one of his gloves off and held it to Krad's forehead. The blond's body was normally really cool but it was heating up, quickly. The last thing any of them needed was Krad to come down with a fever before he was due to battle the demons that were attacking the town. There was a knock at the door and Azalea called through to see if things had gotten any better. Dante couldn't keep him and Krad locked up in there forever and decided to leave the toilet, just in case someone else did want to use it. He quickly told Azalea that Krad might be coming down with a fever and carried the blond back into the cart, sitting down.

Azalea followed and chewed her lip, a habit she had picked up from seeing Krad do it so often. They might have to get off at the town before theirs so Krad could rest. She wasn't going to force the blond to fight with a fever and maybe she or Phim could stay with him while Dante went to the town to try and calm it down before Krad arrived. She didn't know what to do and Phim asked what was happening. She told him what Dante had told her and he shifted. She shared her ideas with the man and he nodded, thinking they were good. But they had to get Dante to agree with them and with the way the hunter was holding the blond, it might not be that easy.

Phim inched closer to the silver haired man and sat down across from him. "So, Lea and I were talking and if Krad has got a fever, it would be best if he rests in a bed. We were thinking that maybe Lea or I should get off at the town before ours and take Krad to a hotel, while you continue on and get the situation under control."

Dante stared at Phim blankly. Was he being serious? Apparently so. It would've been a good idea, had Dante actually trusted either of the two humans but he didn't and that meant he was going to be the one that stayed with Krad. He shook his head and Phim sighed, nodding, saying that he expected that to be his answer. Dante explained that when he and Krad went to save a town, they went together or not at all. It was just a quirk of theirs. _And I wouldn't trust you to look after goldfish,_ Dante added in his mind as the man stood and informed Azalea of what he had said.

Dante shrugged his coat off and placed it over Krad. He closed his eyes and decided to have a little nap before they were bound to be attacked by a demon. Dante wasn't looking at the glass half empty, it was just a fact he had gotten used to. Azalea and Phim sat in the seat opposite of Dante and spoke quietly to each other. Dante ignored them. He could care less if they were plotting to kill him and force Krad to fight the demons in his condition. They would have a hell of a time trying to pry the blond from his dead fingers, though.

* * *

A few hours later, Krad jerked awake and stretched. He felt much better and wondered why the hell people didn't just let him rest when he was tired. Of course he was going to be grouchy. He was a lot like a child in that sense and hell, so was Dante. He looked outside the window and saw that night had settled in. The arms around him tightened and Krad looked up into the silvery-blue eyes of Dante. He smiled at the half-demon and turned around to straddle his lap, hugging him tightly. He felt like a new Nephilim.

"How're you feeling?"

"Awesome! Hungry, though."

Dante watched as Krad stood and stretched again. He also got to his feet and put his coat back on. He informed the blond that Azalea and the other guy had already gone to eat. Krad nodded and started towards the dining cart. Dante glanced over his shoulder, looking outside the window. He shrugged and followed Krad, who was running. Dante was worried. Krad was acting childish. More childish than normal. Krad suddenly stopped and turned to Dante.

Dante raised an eyebrow and the weird look on Krad's face. "What's wrong?"

Krad shifted. He had no idea what was wrong but something didn't feel right. Dante was on his mind, a lot. Normally Krad was plotting out the best course of action for when they got to the town but all he could think about was the son of Sparda. How good he smelt. How nice it was to have his arm around his body. Krad lowered his head as he blushed and shrugged. Why was he thinking so much about the demon hunter? Krad looked up at Dante and his eyes widened.

"Dante…Something is wrong. _Very_ wrong."

Dante tilted his head. Krad had only just noticed that something was wrong? Had the blond finally picked up on his childish antics about getting food? Dante doubt it but the fear in the blond's eyes was enough for Dante to be on guard. He hoped it wasn't something that was really bad. "What is it? Can you sense something?"

Krad shook his head. "No. I can't read your mind, either. Dante…I think I'm human."

* * *

End Chapter II.


	3. Inner Demons III

**~Inner Demons~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

* * *

"…Fuck…"

Why couldn't Krad be joking about that? Why did his eyes have to be so serious and those tears be real? Why was it happening? Dante was powerful and could take out all the demons in the town but having help from a fucking Nephilim would make it a lot easier on him. What else could go wrong? Was Krad going to wake up the next day without his memories? Was he going to lose his eye sight? Were his limbs going to start falling off?

"Fuck!" Dante kicked one of the seats and it up-bolted itself. He ignored the stares he got from the passengers at turned his eyes to Krad. He opened his mouth to ask something but closed it again. What fucking use was that blond, now? As a human, Krad would tire out killing half a legion of demons. And what if there were more than a legion? As if that many wasn't bad enough. What had caused it? "Shit!"

Dante spun around and stormed back into the cart he had been when he woken up. A human Krad. That would explain the childishness. Krad had probably been like Vergil, too serious since birth. And who wouldn't be? Knowing you had the divine touch in you would be enough to make Dante buckle down and do the right thing. What was he going to do? Was there anything he _could_ do to reverse the effects of the dart?

Dante paced the length of the cart as he thought. Krad was human. Krad could still use his blades and protect people. A window smashed and Dante killed the demon without looking at it. He wasn't in the mood to deal with anything at the moment. Where did Krad keep his blades anyway? Dante knew Krad reached behind him to get them but there was never any indication that he was concealing a weapon. And unless it was a shirt he slept in, the blond's tops were form-fitting. There was no way that Krad could have his weapons on him. Angelic objects. They were useless with Krad's angel half being locked away and Dante groaned.

_Why couldn't that dart have hit me instead?_ Dante sighed. He already knew the reason behind it and he looked up when he heard Krad scream his name. He ran into the cart and saw Krad cowering in a corner as a demon moved closer. _And now that he's completely vulnerable,_ Dante thought as he sliced the low level creature, _he's going to be a walking beacon for them. His virtue is heavenly. Oh fuck! He's over a thousand years old! What will being human do to him? Will he age overnight?_ Dante grabbed Krad's wrist and took him back to the other cart and sat him down as he paced again, still thinking.

Dante looked at Krad, who stared back. Gold eyes that held fear. They weren't glowing. Whatever was in that dart had locked away every ounce of angel that Krad had in him and that was a bad thing. That could mean he would age rapidly. Rapid age would mean death and that was something Dante wasn't going to deal with. They had to stop. They couldn't go to the town. Dante couldn't protect Krad, the town, the townspeople and fight the demons. That was just too much for one half-breed. Dante informed Krad of his decision and the blond nodded

Fifteen minutes later, Azalea and Phim returned. They immediately noticed Krad's eyes and started firing questions. Krad just said a light went off inside of him and that it would be back soon enough. Dante frowned slightly. Krad had been living in the same town as Azalea for two years and she never picked up that he was half-angel? Granted, it took Dante a while to figure it out, too and hell, he was still trying to get over the fact that angels existed. But if you see someone with glowing eyes they're either not human or a character from a Square Enix game. The first one seemed more probable than the latter. Dante shook his head. That was getting off-topic and he told the other two they were getting off at the next town for the next couple of days. If they had a problem with it, Dante didn't care if they returned to their homes, which had probably been destroyed by that time. They didn't have a problem with it and Dante raised an eyebrow.

The driver announced their arrival at the town and they got off. Dante took them to a hotel and they got their rooms. The girl and the man had separate rooms and Dante was going to be sharing one with Krad as he wasn't going to leave the blond alone. Wherever Krad went, Dante was going to follow. When Krad found out about that, the blond shifted and Dante emphasized that having a shower or a bath was part of 'everywhere'. Krad just blushed like a kid that had heard the word 'boobies' for the first time and nodded. Dante told the other two to get some rest.

Once in the room, Krad threw himself on the bed and snuggled the pillow. "This isn't fair! I can't even access my archive!" he whined and tried suffocating himself.

Dante pulled Krad up from the pillow, not wanting to deal with pissed off archangels if Krad was to kill himself because of a slight setback. "There has to be some way of reversing it. We'll get some rest then hit some places when the sun is up. I'm sure someone in a town like this knows something. So just sleep."

Krad nodded and undid his boots. How could he wear them so long? His feet were aching. He got under the covers of the bed and stared at the ceiling. The neon lights from various places outside of the window shined through the thin curtains. How could Dante be so calm about it? Krad assumed because it wasn't happening to the half-demon. Krad glanced at the man, who was on the sofa. _I'm useless right now. Why is he even bothering to try and help me?_ Krad turned onto his side and closed his eyes. He really hoped there was a way to reverse it. He hated being weak and pathetic.

* * *

Dante opened his eyes when he heard Krad get up. Actually, it was after he heard Krad hiss in pain when the blond kicked one of his boots. Even as a human Krad had the stealth of an angel just not the grace of one. That was made painfully clear when Krad tripped over something in the bathroom and there was a clutter. What the hell could he have possibly found to trip over, besides his own two feet? Dante got up and went to the bathroom, opening the door. The ex-angel had managed to pull the First Aid locker from the wall.

_Great. He's a hazard when he's an angel and he's a hazard when he's human. I am so fucked._ Dante looked away as Krad undressed and pulled back the curtain shower. When he heard the curtain close, he kept the bathroom door open and went into the room, looking out the window. It was a sunny and warm day. It would've been perfect, if not for their conundrum. Dante looked at the bathroom when Krad suddenly cried out, "Haven't these people heard of 'No More Tears' by Johnson and Johnson?" Dante raised an eyebrow and sighed. Great. It was going to be a fan-fucking-tastic day.

Twenty minutes later, Krad walked out of the bathroom, his hair down. "How on earth do I do my hair without magic? How do you tie laces? Is my shirt on correctly?"

Dante blinked. "Was there anything you _didn't_ rely on magic for?" He pulled Krad's shirt off, turned the right way around and inside out and put it back on. He took the blond over to the bed and sat him down, putting his boots on.

"Of course there was! I just can't remember any right now." Krad watched closely as Dante did up the laces on his boots. "You make it look so easy!"

Dante shook his head. _Today is going to be murder. I'm going to murder him. I know I will._ Dante looked at Krad, waiting for the blond to hand me the brush. "Where's your brush?"

Krad shrugged. "It usually appears when I need it, since two years ago when I lost my hairbrush I kept one with me all the time."

"Angels are fucking lazy! You can kill demons with a look, you can do magic for the basic things in life and you get laze about on fluffy clouds eating grapes! Demons really got the short straw."

"Blame Lucifer! If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't be doing all of this complaining!" Krad pouted and looked away.

"Where's the hair tie you were using yesterday?"

"I think that went down the drain."

"_Everything_ has gone down the drain." Dante sighed and stood, pulling Krad to his feet as well. "We're going out."

Without listening to a word that Krad was saying, Dante pulled the blond out of the room and then out of the hotel and onto the busy streets. As they walked, Dante looked around for a place that could hopefully tell him _anything_ about what was happening with Krad. The blond complained the entire way about how walking was really tiring and that the magic that used to fuel his body was being sorely missed. Krad wasn't the only one missing it.

If Krad continued to complain that way, Dante was going to bind him and gag him. That would be that. It was getting harder and harder to block out the whining voice of the angel as he complained that his hair felt funny and his eyes were stinging and his feet were hurting and it was too hot. Basically, everything Krad never used to complain was coming out in buckets and Dante was seconds from snapping when he felt something.

They stopped outside of an alley and Dante looked down it. There was a presence down there. There was another demon in town and Dante needed something to work his frustrations out on. He pulled Krad into the alley and of course, the blond complained that it smelt funny and that it was dirty and that he had just had a shower. Dante gritted his teeth. Before he could completely snap, they came upon a door. It was black and had a red pentagram on it. It was done the right way to symbolize protection instead of devil worship. Dante knocked, deciding to be polite about the thing. It was bad enough that Krad's complaining would probably insult whoever on the other side.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" a voice asked from the other side.

Dante blinked. What kind of a question was that? "Did you want the answer Carroll came up with or the real answer to that silly riddle?" Krad shot back.

Dante frowned slightly as the door opened and an elderly woman stood in front of them. Her watery gray eyes studied the two in front of them. "Well, well, well," she chuckled. "The son of Sparda and a very pretty little boy. What brings the son of the legendary Demon Knight to my door?"

"The very pretty little boy has a problem and I got the feeling that you might be able to help him. Judging by the fact that there is a demon in there, I assumed you were accustom to my kind but perhaps not his." Dante shifted.

"I deal with humans, also. Please, come in and I'll see what I can do for your little friend." The woman stepped to the side and the two walked past her, down the hall and through the beaded curtain before she could close the door.

Dante threw Krad onto one of the sofas and told him to stay. Krad stuck his tongue out and got to his feet, wandering around the large room. He looked at the candles that lit the area and tilted his head to the side. "I thought red candles were used for romance spells?" he muttered to himself, jumping when there was a gentle giggled to his right. He stared at the girl there, who smiled shyly at him. "Hi!"

"It isn't very often we get humans as pretty as you in here," the girl whispered as she bent at the waist, taking Krad's chin in her long fingers. "Nor do we get humans that are fully grown males at five foot two."

"Hmph!" Krad turned his head away defiantly and ignored Dante's warning about the girl being the demon he sensed. Krad could care less. She was taking too much pleasure in teasing him about his height and he got enough of that from Dante and everyone else that knew him. He knew he was short! People had to get over it sooner or later. It just appeared that most preferred to get over it later.

"Be careful, Krad. She's powerful and she's a succubus." Dante eyed the girl cautiously. She had taken too much of an interest in Krad and whenever someone did that, it always put Dante on guard. Especially when they didn't know what they were dealing with.

The old woman joined them as the girl moved over to the silver haired man. "Sylvia, that's the son of Sparda, I would suggest you go back to toying with the human, while I get the information out of him." Her granddaughter pouted but did as she was told. "So, what is the problem with your little human friend? Is he having a difficult time getting it up or does he have trouble finding a girl?"

Dante snorted. "He has the libido of a stick and he's gay. He's got men _and_ women panting after him, so I don't think that's his problem. Actually, we're here for something that isn't what you normally do. Hexes and shit won't work with him, I don't think. He's a Nephilim."

The old woman's eyes widened and Sylvia hissed, backing away. "Nephilims haven't existed for eons. Not since the second war in heaven," the old woman said.

Dante raised an eyebrow. "Wrong. There were twin Nephilims born fifteen hundred years ago. He killed the evil one two years ago and now he's been turned human. I wanted to know if you could unlock the angel in him." How the hell was it possible that until two years ago Dante had no idea what a Nephilim was but everyone else in the world knew it? That was a little unfair.

Sylvia looked at the man that had brought the boy in. "The son of Sparda wants something as deadly as a Nephilim to regain its full power? Why did you not to go to the angels for help?"

"Because if it was something only they could reverse, they would've shown up by now. Krad, did you want to tell them what happened?"

Sylvia stepped closer to the blond again, looking him over. Being a Nephilim explained his beauty and the heavenly scent of his virtue. "Krad? The son of Gabriel?"

Krad frowned. "You know a little _too_ much about me, woman. Where did you get that information? No-one knows who my father is, except me and…Sugar! I should've known Dark would talk!"

Sylvia smirked and circled the Nephilim, enjoying his scent. She knew it would be driving the son of Sparda insane being around it so often. "I did hear something, but it will cost you."

Krad raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth but Dante got in first. "Look, Sylvia, if you want his virginity, get in line. I already called first dibs on it. Besides, I don't think he could get it up for you."

Sylvia stopped walking around Krad and faced the silver haired man. "I can change my appearance to the one being he finds attractive and that's you. However, I don't want his virginity. I just want a mouthful of his blood."

The old woman gasped and Krad narrowed his eyes. "You do realize that when you tell me how to get back my angel-ness, I'll have to kill you."

"And I could kill you right now and rid the world of Nephilims until the next lot is born."

"Did you really want to piss my daddy off? If you fear Sparda then I know you fear my father more."

Sylvia shifted. She weighed her options. Either way, she was going to die. But in the meantime, she could have some fun with the sweet blood of the Nephilim in her. "You can kill me after you get your angelic powers back because frankly, without your magic to help you, you look like shit. What I heard was that there was a demon and someone else that wants to kill you and the son of Sparda. Don't worry, Dante, Vergil is still being tortured by Lucifer so it's not him. This demon is closely related to the pretty Nephilim, Zuriel. The demon that resides over the star sign of Libra and the one that used to be so close your daddy."

Krad's eyes widened. Zuriel _used_ to be the angel that resided over the star sign of Libra until the second war in heaven, where he turned against the angels, thinking that the Nephilim of that time would reign supreme. Obviously that Nephilim failed and Zuriel, along with two legions of angels were kicked from heaven and Zuriel became the demon of the star sign. That would mean that Zuriel had the ability to use his celestial powers and Krad knew that was never a good thing.

"And who is the 'someone else'?" Dante asked.

"Just some slutty witch that had probably concocted a potion to lock away Krad's angel. And if I know her right, and I should, seeing as she was taught by me, the only way possible for Krad to go back to normal is not the best way for an angel. Of course, being gay makes it better for you, sweetie."

Krad blinked. What was she talking about? "What are you on about, woman?"

"What is the one thing an angel has that a demon doesn't?"

"Grace and virtue," Krad answered without thinking. "And that's two things that we have. So, I gotta get laid and hope that solves my problems?"

Sylvia nodded and stepped back. "If you're lucky it will help. Of course, you have to have sex with the person you love and they have to love you in return. Do you think the son of Sparda loves you? Or does he just love your body and the fact that you're a virgin?" Sylvia smirked as she saw doubt in Krad's eyes and picked up a knife, handing it to the blond. "Now, keep your end of the bargain, Nephilim. A mouthful of your blood."

Krad took the knife. "Krad, don't! Do you have any idea what your blood will do to a demon, even a lowly one like a succubus?"

Krad glanced at Dante and sighed. "I know _exactly_ what it'll do to her. But a deal is a deal. She told me how to reverse –"

"She told you what _might_ work, Krad. You should try it out and then give her your blood." Dante walked up to the blond and took the knife from him, handing it back to Sylvia. "If she drinks your blood and having sex with me doesn't work, there's no way I'll be able to kill her."

"You didn't know what a Nephilim was two years ago but you know what'll happen if someone drinks my blood?"

"I know what'll happen when a demon drinks an _angel's_ blood, Krad. It's the same if they drink the blood of an infant. Their power increases to the point where high level demons have to take them out or worse, Lucifer himself drags his ass out of hell for them." Dante glared at Sylvia, who took the knife back. "We'll be back."

"Very well. I hope you enjoy the taste of him, son of Sparda. I know I will. Just remember what I said, Krad, son of Gabriel. If he doesn't love you, nothing will happen." Sylvia smirked as Dante dragged Krad out of the room. She looked at her grandmother. "Twenty-four hours should be long enough for the Nephilim to give me."

The old woman's appearance wavered and she transformed into a young lady with long auburn curls and piercing green eyes. "I don't see why the Nephilim had to get involved. Zuriel is a demon now. Even if he does use his celestial powers, they won't kill the half-breed. If he wounds him to the point of death, he'll have to deal with Gabriel or worse, Michael."

Sylvia looked at her grandmother. "Tell me something, Constance, why didn't you ask for payment as well? Together, we could cause a lot of damage and have a lot of fun."

Constance smiled. "I'll get my payment, granddaughter. They just don't know it yet."

Dante's heart pounded in his chest as he thought about what he had just heard. He had to have sex with Krad? And the blond couldn't say no? God…or Lucifer was smiling on him. They got back to the hotel and Dante went into the room. He faced Krad as he locked the door, after putting the 'Do Not Disturb' sign up. Krad shifted and adverted his gaze to the floor. Of all ways, why did that have to the only path for him to get back his angelic powers? Killing some innocent person would've been a lot easier. Krad glanced at Dante and stared. _I never knew he could look like that…_

_

* * *

_

End Chapter III.


	4. Inner Demons IV

**~Inner Demons~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

* * *

Dante actually looked unsure of what to do. Krad had always known Dante as the over-confident, smart mouthed half-demon. But he was silent and nervous. Krad didn't need his angelic powers to pick that up. It was obvious from the way Dante kept looking at him and then looking somewhere else, only to gaze back at him and find something that was more interesting. Krad shifted. He was worried. If Dante was nervous…What could he be nervous about?

Dante announced he was going for a shower and Krad nodded, going over to the window and pulling the curtain back. It was still beautiful outside and Krad wished he could've enjoyed it more. Complaining about stuff was annoying but if it kept the façade up, plus it annoyed Dante, then he would continue to find small things to be picky about. He brushed his fingers through his hair, working out most of the knots and wishing he had a brush. He would give his left arm for a brush.

Krad went over to the bed, sat down and removed his boots. He cracked his toes and went back to the window, watching people on the street below. Sylvia had implanted her seed of doubt and Krad was still trying to figure out why. Dante had been thinking logically, which had scared Krad. After all, Dante was known for busting into a place, guns blazing. But it was a good thing that Dante had been thinking, or Krad would've gladly given up his blood to the demon.

Krad chewed his lower lip as he turned his eyes to the clear blue sky. _Does Dante love me as I love him?_ Krad hissed slightly as he punctured his lip and licked the blood away. Being human sucked. It sucked big time. Having to rely on Dante to protect him from creatures that should fear him was something that no angel should have to put up with. _And if it does work, what then? Will I become a junkie?_ Krad shook his head. That was stupid. He had amazing self-control or he would've lost his virginity eons ago. There had been more than enough people that loved him and that he loved in return. And yet, when he thought about them, all of them paled in comparison to Dante.

Krad blinked when the curtain moved and looked at the other end. Dante stood there, a towel around his hips as he too stared out of the window. Krad wanted to look away but his eyes took in everything they could see of Dante's body. It looked divine. It was perfect. It really was a worshipping temple and Krad blushed at his thoughts. Dante turned his eyes to him and Krad quickly looked away, the stain on his cheeks deepening for being caught staring.

Krad sighed silently and let his hand slide down the curtain. He cried out when a chipped nail got caught. Another thing he hated about being human. He unhooked his nail and sucked on the nail, frowning. He looked at it and saw that the thread that had gotten caught caused a fair bit of damage and he sighed sadly, trying to smooth out the roughness. Nothing was going to go right that day, was it? First Dante acting weird and now a broken nail. Krad went to the bed and threw himself onto it. He closed his eyes, not wanting to think about anything anymore.

Krad squeezed his eyes. He wasn't going to think about sex. He wasn't going to think about Dante's gorgeous body that was begging to be touched. With a growl, Krad got onto his knees and threw one of the pillows at Dante, not surprised when the half-breed caught it. He glared at the silver haired man. "Get dressed!"

Dante raised an eyebrow and returned the pillow to the bed. Krad huffed and looked away. He was forced to look into amused silvery-blue eyes and then blush returned as Dante asked, "Why should I get dressed? Am I distracting you from your thoughts?"

Krad tried to push Dante away but that was like throwing a pebble at a mountain and expecting the mountain to crumble. Krad quickly snatched his hands back when he realized he was enjoying the feel of the skin on Dante's chest, making the half-demon chuckle and run his tongue along Krad's lips. Krad's eyes widened and he stared at Dante. Was the son of Sparda seriously considering having sex with him? Krad bit his lip, flinching slightly when he reopened the small wound.

Dante stared at the single drop of ruby and then let go of Krad's chin, standing straight. "Krad, this will only work if you want it to. If you don't want to try it, I'm not going to force you."

Krad inched over to the edge of the bed and knelt there, eyes lowered to his hands, which were in his lap. He blushed madly as he tried to tell Dante he didn't know what to do or how to do it. He didn't want to hurt the demon in anyway or do something to him that might make Dante decide to stop. Krad was willing to go the full nine yards but he knew he would need a lot of guidance to do it. He raised his head and gasped as Dante pressed their lips together.

Dante gently worked his lips against Krad's, smirking when the blond turned his head away at the feel of his tongue. Dante had a feeling Krad probably hadn't been kissed before. "Do you trust me, Krad?" The blond looked at him and nodded. "Then trust me. If it gets too uncomfortable for you, let me know."

Krad moved his legs out from under him as he searched Dante's eyes, trying to see if there was any reason for him not to believe the half-demon. There was only sincerity and lust swirling in the half-breed's eyes and Krad nodded again. If it did get too uncomfortable for him, he would do more than just let Dante know. He would probably hurt the demon spawn. Krad scooted back when Dante tenderly kneed his legs apart. He watched as the half-breed knelt between them and pressed their lips together again. Krad hesitantly opened his mouth when he felt Dante's tongue again. As soon as Dante's touched his own, Krad's body jolted and he moaned, a hand gripping a shoulder.

His own tongue playing with Dante's like it had a mind of its own, Krad sighed into the kiss with contentment. It was the first time something of another person's was in his mouth and Krad loved it. Dante tasted amazing and his tongue was very talented. Krad whimpered quietly when Dante pulled back and smirked down at him. Krad panted slightly. The light clothing he wore felt hot and he knew his face was flushed. Dante moved back from Krad and lied down on the bed, closing his eyes. Krad looked Dante's body over.

Dante cracked an eye open and saw the way Krad was looking at his body. "Do what you want to it, Krad. It's yours…for now."

Krad straddled one of Dante's legs and continued to gaze at the half-demon's body. It was godly. Krad decided to start and the top and work his way down. He softly ran his fingertips over Dante's cheeks and the demon spawn closed his eyes again. He brushed his fingers across Dante's lips and lent down, kissing them softly as his hands trailed down the bare chest. Krad sat back a little and looked at Dante's chest. It was stunning. He pressed his lips to it and the demon spawn groaned quietly. Krad sat back, eyes wide at the noise. Had he done something to cause the half-breed pain?

"Don't worry about it, Krad. Just continue with it; it felt good."

Krad nodded, even though Dante's eyes were closed. Gentle kisses were placed down the center of the torso and Krad blushed as he got lower and lower. The towel hid nothing and the tent in it let Krad know that he was doing something right. With shaking hands, Krad went to remove the towel but gasped softly when Dante caught his wrists. He stared into the lusty eyes of the hunter that were clear enough to ask a simple question: are you sure? Krad licked his lips and nodded. If he was going to have sex with the half-breed he might as well know what his body looked like while it was naked. Dante slowly let go of Krad's wrists and watched as the blond undid the towel, pushing the material to the side.

Krad blinked. For a half-demon Dante was very blessed in that part of his anatomy and it worried Krad, just a little. Would something of that length and thickness fit in him? Krad wasn't a _complete_ idiot when it came to sex, he knew the _very_ basics. He knew where the penetration was going to be and he wasn't so sure if he would be able to take Dante. Krad sat back and let his eyes take in everything of Dante's naked body. It was more beautiful without the towel hiding his groin. Krad actually felt inadequate next to the son of Sparda.

Krad lowered his eyes in thought. He remembered one time, back when he and Dark used to share their inner most secrets with each other, his older brother had come back home, almost blind drunk, bragging about some woman that he had screwed. Krad had been upset because he thought that Dark would save himself for his brother, which was what Krad had been doing. It pained the blond to know that some random woman was more worthy of his virginity than his own brother. Dark had gone into great detail about what the woman had done with her mouth and Krad fixated his eyes onto Dante's erection. He hoped the half-demon would enjoy it as much as his brother had.

Dante's eyes widened and he sat up as soon as he felt Krad's tongue on his manhood. "Krad! What are you doing?"

Krad lowered his eyes again. "I'm sorry. I thought you might like it." Krad sighed and blushed. _How could I be so stupid? I should've asked him first if he liked stuff like that._ "I'm really sorry."

Dante blinked. What was Krad apologizing for? Dante just didn't want the blond to push himself into something he didn't know about. "Krad, it's okay. I just want to make sure _you're_ comfortable with this. I'm not going to force you into something you don't want to do."

Krad's head snapped up and he stared at Dante. "Haven't you been waiting for a chance like this?" Krad looked away when Dante ran his eyes over his body. He placed his hands in front of his crotch, not wanting the half-demon to know that he was turned over a look. That and the fact that Dante probably didn't find his body attractive as the hunter had yet to touch him.

"This isn't about me, Krad; it's about you. Only if you're comfortable. Does any of this make you feel the need to run away?" Krad shook his head. It was actually exciting him doing something so different. "Then continue. Do what you want to me but know that once you've gotten bored, it'll be my turn to do what I want to you."

Krad bit back a moan at those words and nodded. He wasn't going to be so shy anymore as it was obvious that whatever he did to Dante seemed to turn the half-demon on. He glanced into the silvery-blue eyes and smirked, Dante returning the gesture. Dante gasped and cursed when Krad lowered his mouth to the organ that had been begging for attention since Krad moaned into the kiss. For a virgin, Dante noted that Krad was exceptionally good with his mouth and watched the blond.

Krad pulled back slightly and ran his tongue up and down the shaft, glancing at Dante. He was going to pleasure that man better than any woman ever could. Krad didn't think he could ever get bored of pleasing Dante; he had been dreaming of doing so for the last two years. Krad moved to licking the other side of the organ before taking it back into his mouth. The way Dante groaned and panted and cursed made Krad shiver with the excitement of everything else that was to come that day.

Dante forced his hips not to buck into Krad's skilled mouth and gripped the sheets, to stop himself from ripping the blond's clothes off and taking him. It had been way too long since he had felt something that wonderful. Heaven could kiss his ass because what Krad was doing to him was his version of utopia. The blond worked his cock in a way that Dante didn't think was possible for a virgin to know. Krad had a lot of hidden, natural skills.

"Stop."

Krad pulled back, staring at Dante with wide eyes, wondering if he had done wrong. Dante looked like he had been enjoying what Krad had been doing to him. Krad removed his hands from Dante's body and lowered his gaze to the man's legs. If he looked at his anatomy, Krad knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself. "Did I do something wrong?" Krad whispered, cautiously raising his eyes to meet Dante's when the hunter tapped his chin.

"No but this is all about you, remember? My pleasure can wait a little longer until you've got your power back." Dante sat up and beckoned Krad closer.

Krad crawled up Dante's body and straddled his waist. He closed his eyes when Dante cupped his cheek, turning his head to the kiss the man's palm. The hand ran down his throat, his chest, his abdomen and stopped over the bulge in his pants. Krad's eyes shot open and he cried out as Dante rubbed it. Did it always feel that good? Krad's nails dug into Dante's shoulders and then it stopped. The pleasure that coursed through his veins ceased.

Krad took shuddering breaths as he watched Dante. The half-demon slipped his hands beneath the white shirt he wore and removed it. Krad wasn't ashamed of his body. It wasn't a temple like Dante's but it had its own beauty that seemed to draw people in. A feather light touch ran across his chest and ribs and Krad arched his back into it. Was Dante going to torture him all day with something like that? Krad wouldn't put it past the half-demon.

Dante changed their positions and undid Krad's jeans. Krad's body was almost completely hairless, except for a small patch of golden public hairs. At least Dante knew that was Krad's natural hair color, not that he doubted Krad. Some people would just kill to have that kind of hair color. Dante raked his eyes over Krad's body, taking in every little detail. There were no freckles, no blemishes, just pure snowy skin that seemed to glow in the late morning sun that filled the room. The bright gold eyes swirled with everything Dante knew they would. He just wished they were glowing. It would've been more of an achievement to take Krad's virginity when he was a Nephilim instead of a human. Dante couldn't remember seeing anyone as petite as Krad was. If it wasn't for the fact that he was a Nephilim, the half-demon doubted that Krad could fight to stay grounded against a moderate breeze.

Dante lent down and ran his tongue along Krad's lips, which tasted like strawberries. He had noticed that when he kissed the blond earlier. It was like kissing a fruit salad but it was so much sweet because it was Krad's mouth he had practically violated. He ran his tongue along Krad's jaw and nipped the area just under the ear; Krad moaned quietly. Dante glanced at him. The human was biting his lip, making it bleed again. If Krad kept doing that, Dante wasn't going to be able to stop himself from tasting it.

Dante lowered his head to Krad's throat and he bit it. The blond whimpered but placed a hand on Dante's head, pressing it down more. Dante smirked against the abused skin. So Krad was a bit of a masochist. He could live with that. In fact, after Krad had his powers back, Dante was going to take a vacation from demon hunting and he was going to make sure Krad knew who ruled who in the bedroom. The blond would be his bitch, just as Vergil was Lucifer's.

Dante kissed and licked his way down Krad's throat, the blond gasping quietly, until Dante got to his chest and attacked a nipple with his mouth. Krad cried out, his hand fisting in Dante's hair and his back arching. His erection throbbed painfully. He opened his eyes to slits of gold and watched Dante closely. What the man was doing to his body had to be illegal somewhere. Dante left the nipple alone and went down further, his tongue dipping into the blond's navel and playing with the ring there. He watched Krad's abdominal muscles quiver as his hair tickled the surface.

Krad moaned as Dante brushed a hand across his erection and bit his hip. He didn't care if the whole hotel heard him. He hadn't felt anything that pleasurable in his life. It was all he could think about; all he wanted to think about. He wanted Dante. He craved the half-demon like a drug at that moment. He gasped Dante's name and the half-breed gripped his erection, running his hand up and down the length. Krad's eyes closed and his head tossed from side to side.

Dante stared at Krad's neck, the strain on it and the thin flows of blood from there his teeth had pierced the skin. He licked Krad's inner thigh, eyes trained on the crimson life force that he wanted to taste. His hand took on a life of its own and crept up to it, coating two fingertips, Dante stared at the ruby liquid on his fingers. He licked it off and moaned. It was sweeter than a strawberry sundae and more intoxicating than a bottle of whiskey. He sucked the two fingers and before he could stop himself, forced them into Krad's opening.

Krad whimpered slightly at the intrusion but it wasn't something he wasn't going to complain about. The pain that came with it was an added plus. He wanted Dante to kiss him again. He wanted the half-demon to bite him and drink his blood. He wanted to bleed for the son of Sparda. Krad's eyes shot open as Dante's fingers struck something in him. Something very nice. Something that made him _scream_ the demon spawn's name. Something that made him beg to have the demon in him. Krad pulled Dante's head up to his own by his hair and he crushed their lips together. He didn't care how brutal it got.

"In me, _now_," Krad growled when he pulled back.

Dante raised an eyebrow and smirked. He was going to make that blond bleed something shocking. He spat on his hand and coated his cock as well as he could and removed his fingers. Dante entered the first half of himself slowly but slammed the rest in. Krad bit his lip and Dante licked the blood away, teasing Krad's tongue with his. He never thought the Nephilim could look anymore beautiful. The gold eyes that were clouded with lust and need, the bite mark on his neck bleeding, which Dante was also licking away and the cries that left his throat.

Dante slipped an arm beneath one of Krad's legs, loving the blond's flexibility. He kissed the knee and rocked his hips back and forth, smirking down at the half-angel. He dipped his head and licked away the fresh blood on Krad's neck, growling somewhat savagely, his hips thrusting into the blond harshly. The hand in his hair tightened and Krad moaned loudly. Probably the only being that wasn't a demon that could withstand Dante's violent way of sex. Pleasuring the blond went out the window as Dante picked up his pace, biting the neck again to force more blood from the small wounds.

Krad panted. It hurt but it felt incredible at the same time and then Dante shifted his hips slightly and that spot that made Krad scream was struck, making the blond scream out the half-demon's name again. The hand that had been gripping the covers of the bed went to Dante's shoulder, gripping that tightly. He dug his nails into the pale skin and his eyes closed. At some point, he thought he heard someone knock on the door.

Krad's moans and screams, the sound of skin hitting skin with a force, the bed head slamming against the wall behind it and Dante's growls filled the room. Dante took one of Krad's hands and guided it to the blond's crotch. Krad gripped himself and managed to somehow move his hand along his length at the same pace that Dante was going. The hand gripping Dante's shoulder got tighter and his screams louder until the last one ripped from this throat, leaving it sore. The hand on the half-demon's shoulder went downwards, leaving four bloody marks. He moaned softly when he felt something hot fill him and Dante's final growl of satisfaction before the man pulled out of him and wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

Krad closed his eyes. _Even if it didn't work, at least he enjoyed himself._ Krad smirked at Dante's thoughts and opened his eyes, staring at the wall behind Dante. He closed his eyes again when Dante turned his head to look at him. "More," Krad whined. "I want more."

Dante frowned slightly. Was Krad sleeping and having a weird dream or did he want more of what Dante had just given him? Dante stroked Krad's hair, loving the silkiness of the strands. The blond seemed to glow with the aftermath of his first sexual encounter. Dante was loving it. The blond clung to him like a koala bear, nuzzling his throat. Dante kissed the side of his head and asked, "More what?"

"More sex," Krad answered, looking at Dante with glowing eyes.

* * *

End Chapter IV.


	5. Inner Demons V

**~Inner Demons~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

* * *

Several hours later, Dante and Krad knocked on the door to the old woman's abode. Dante was having a hard time keeping Krad off his body and they would've been there earlier but Krad constantly wanted more. And when they did decide enough was enough, Dante would instigate it. It was a never ending circle and it left Krad with a sorer throat and Dante very satisfied. He could feel the Nephilim's blood in him, running through his veins. The power that pulsed through him was indescribable.

The bed covers were stained with Krad's blood and Dante's semen. They had almost destroyed the shower, which was where their last encounter happened. Krad broke the ceramic soap holder and cut his hand deeply on it. Dante drank all the blood until Krad healed the wound and the half-demon had to go back to biting the blond to get his blood. He had been ridiculously rough with the Nephilim in the shower but Krad wasn't complaining and Dante took that was a good sign. As soon as they both came, Dante realized he didn't want Krad's blood until he got horny. At least, that's what he thought until he saw his seed and Krad's blood running down the blond's leg and being wasted by going down the drain.

Dante knew he shouldn't have drank Krad's blood but after the first small taste, he became addicted quickly. Plus biting turned the blond on and Dante got two-for-the-price-of-one. With Krad's angelic powers running through him, Dante found his blood tasted sweeter than it did when he was human and it was _even_ sweeter just before Krad came. Dante shook his head when the door opened. He had to clear his mind and keep his head where it belonged; on his shoulders.

Krad shifted and stepped through the open door, heading into the room at the end of the hall. He looked at the smirking Sylvia. She sat in an armchair, legs crossed just waiting. There was something about her that Krad didn't like and he couldn't wait to kill her. She got to her feet, her pale eyes flashing triumphantly as she saw the glowing orbs of the Nephilim. She walked over to the half-breed and looked him up and down. She wasn't game enough to tease him about his height while he had his powers back.

Satisfied with her inspection of a Nephilim, Sylvia went to the coffee table, picking up the knife and a bronze goblet. She handed them to the blond, who glared at her. Sylvia's eyes widened as she looked at Dante and she stepped back. She could already tell that the son of Sparda had drunk the Nephilim's blood. It was clear in his eyes as they were literally swirling between blue and silver. Sylvia couldn't believe the half-demon would be so reckless as to drink the Nephilim's blood. No-one knew how it would affect a half-breed.

"You don't need to worry yourself with that, _demon_. If he was going to cause a problem I would've killed him before now. You, on the other hand, will only have twenty-four hours left to live." Krad took the knife and cut his hand, letting his blood pour into the goblet. He saw Dante tense at the scent from the corner of his eye.

Sylvia took a moment to enjoy the scent of the blood. It was so pure that she was almost upset to drink it. She licked her lips and closed her eyes. Inside her, she could feel the power bubbling, just waiting to explode. She moaned and staggered over to the armchair she had been sitting in when the half-breeds arrived.

Dante raised an eyebrow as Sylvia seemed to be having an orgasm. Dante didn't blame her. Krad's blood did have that affect. When she cried out in ecstasy, Krad turned and left, Dante following behind like a puppy. When on the street, Krad stopped and sighed. "We should start heading to the town. I'll let Azalea and Phim know."

Dante nodded and glanced over his shoulder. _Enjoy it while you can._ He walked beside the blond, who was grateful to have his magic back as he could play out the illusion of being human without having to do anything. They walked back to the hotel in silence and through the city noise, Dante could still hear Krad's heart beat. Pumping that sweet nectar through his body. Dante frowned when he realized he was starting to sound like a vampire.

They got back and Krad headed up to the floor that the humans were on. He knocked on Azalea's door and told her they were heading off and that she should get her gear ready to leave in five minutes. She nodded and said she would be downstairs in three. Krad said the same thing to Phim, who just yawned in response and closed the door. Krad narrowed his eyes at the dark wood. What the hell was _that_ guy's problem? Krad decided he didn't want to know and went downstairs to wait for them. He kept his eyes on the floor, not wanting to see Dante's eyes.

Like she had said, three minutes later, Azalea joined them and asked where Phim was. Krad shrugged and Dante pretended he didn't hear her, staring at the doors. Azalea shifted slightly, wondering what was going on between them. From what she had seen in the last day they were together, Dante and Krad stood closer, like they got their power from the other. Now, they were standing as far apart as possible without drawing too much attention to the fact. Krad looked at her and smiled in that kind and wistful way of his, telling her not to worry so much about matters that aren't important. Azalea grinned and nodded. Krad knew what he was talking about. It was how he was able to get their town back on its feet.

When the five minutes was up, Krad stormed up the stairs and bashed on the door. There was no answer and Krad knocked again. If he had to break the door down, he would. There was shuffling and voices and Krad titled his head. Phim hired a hooker? The man opened the door and glared at Krad, who sent back one that was deadlier. Phim sighed and said he needed another ten minutes and Krad shook his head, telling the man to be dressed and ready in two minutes or they were leaving without him and he could deal with a powerful succubus on his own. Phim slammed the door and Krad shrugged, joining the others.

Krad glanced at the doors and moved Azalea to the side as the succubus came crashing through. Had the power of his blood gone to her head that quickly? Dante and Krad easily dodged her attacks and the half-demon pulled out his guns, shooting Sylvia. She cackled, reminding Krad of a witch bending over a cauldron and mixing her brew. Krad held his hand up, holding Sylvia in place. He made a fist and dragged her closer to him. It was his blood that had given her that strength but there was one flaw with her plan: Krad was still a Nephilim and able to destroy demons.

Dante watched as Sylvia hissed at the Nephilim and Azalea looked on with wide eyes. It seemed apparent she had never seen Krad use his telekinesis. Dante aimed his gun at Phim as the man came down, ready to attack Krad from behind. He warned the blond man not to take another step or there was a bullet going through his head. Phim argued that Krad should let the woman go and Dante raised an eyebrow. Did that idiot not see the succubus as she was at the moment? Krad informed him that Phim was under her spell at the moment.

Krad gasped and looked around. "Did you feel that?" he asked Dante.

Dante nodded, keeping his gun trained on Phim but glanced at the ceiling. "Kill that bitch and let's get out of here before your friends are killed in the building's collapse."

"You promised me twenty-four hours!" Sylvia hissed, narrowing her purple eyes.

Krad scoffed, killing the demon that was on the roof of the hotel. "And you thought you could get away with attacking me and my friends?" Krad half-smirked and tore Sylvia apart. Phim fainted and no-one rushed to help him. Krad rubbed his eyes, feeling rather tired and had a feeling it was because of the blood loss he had endured in the last few hours.

Azalea stepped up to Krad, looking him over. "Are you okay, Krad? You look really tired and even more pale than normal."

Krad smiled but he knew that Azalea wasn't convinced by it. "I'm fine, Azalea. Thanks for your concern, though." Krad glanced at Phim and sighed. His eyes went to the hotel clerk, who was cowering behind his desk, watching with wide and frightened eyes. Krad snapped his fingers and the succubus' body turned to dust. "We're sorry about the damage but at least you still have your life." The man nodded but didn't move.

Dante tilted Krad's chin and looked into his eyes. They were still glowing but they were tired. "You've probably lost too much blood. Should we stay another night or wake _Phim_ up?"

Azalea walked over to Phim and kicked him gently. The man groaned and opened his eyes. "We can't afford to stay here another night. The town might be destroyed by now but the demons could still be there."

Phim sat up and glanced around. The last thing he remembered, he was having a great time with some beautiful woman and kept getting interrupted by Krad, saying they had to leave. How had he ended up downstairs? He got to his feet and brushed himself off, looking at the destroyed doors to the hotel. He went to ask what happened but the other three just held their hands up, not wanting to hear it. They left the hotel and headed to the train station.

The humans walked in front and the half-breeds were a few steps behind. Krad stumbled and jerked his arm out of Dante's grasp, growling out that he was fine. Dante glared at the Nephilim but shrugged. If Krad was going to be that way, who was Dante to tell him otherwise? They arrived at the station and got their tickets. Thankfully, they were only a few towns away from their destination and Krad was looking forward to getting sleep. Krad collapsed into one of the seats and closed his eyes. He moaned and swatted at the hand that was touching his exposed neck.

Dante frowned. He knew that the Nephilim needed rest to heal but thought that shallow wounds like the ones on his neck, would be easier to heal. Dante shook his head. He couldn't believe he had done that to Krad. In Dante's defense, all Krad had to do was say 'no' and the half-demon would've stopped drinking his blood. Though Dante doubted Krad would ever tell him to stop, with the way he cried out from the small attacks.

By the time the train arrived, Krad was unconscious and Dante sighed. Even when he was back as a Nephilim he had to protect the blond. He scooped the half-angel into his arms and boarded. Azalea asked if he was okay and Dante quickly told her it was all the excitement and worry of going back to the town and what state it would be in by the time they arrived. Azalea smiled and nodded, going to stroke Krad's hair but Dante sat down, not wanting anyone to touch what was his. She looked a little put out by the action but sat beside Phim on the other side of the cart.

* * *

Krad raised an eyebrow as he stared at Dante. He shook the half-demon's shoulder and the light snoring stopped. "Dante, are you asleep?"

Dante cracked an eye open. "No. I'm just slightly less awake."

"Whatever. We're almost there, so wake your ass up." Krad stretched and sat on the seat opposite of Dante, staring out the window. The sun was beginning to rise and the fact that the Nephilim couldn't see any smoke was an added bonus. The demons hadn't set fire to the town to completely destroy it. But if they were still in the town, it would worry Krad.

Krad got to his feet and stared at the roof of the train. Dante pulled out Ebony and Ivory, firing at the demons that were on the top. Azalea and Phim cried out in surprise, being woken by the loud shots. Through the bullet holes, blood dripped in. Via the windows, they could see the dead bodies of the demons fall off. The low level demons disappeared and the train slowed to a half. The four people on the locomotive went to the doors. It wasn't surprising to see no-one around. The doors opened with a soft hiss and they stepped onto the platform, looking around.

They headed towards the main street of the town. There were demons everywhere. The stench of them was vile but there were humans as well. Azalea was pulled into an alley and Dante raised an eyebrow. He brought up the rear and Krad didn't look like he wanted to go down there but did it anyway, if only because Azalea was down there. Krad raised his eyes to the building on their left, scanning the rooftop. He couldn't see anything but something was there. Something strange.

"Dahlia!" Azalea cried out and hugged someone.

Krad blinked at the stared at the short silver hair. When Azalea stepped back, Krad's eyes widened and Dante cursed out his surprise. The woman standing in front of Azalea looked almost identical to Dante, except that it was female. Dahlia seemed to be part of a group that was trying to wipe out the demons but the half-breeds were having a hard time trying to get past her looks. She even had pale blue eyes. If Dante didn't know any better, he would've gladly mistaken her for a long lost sister. But as it was, one insane, psychotic sibling was enough for him. And while Dahlia didn't seem psychotic or insane, Dante just got the feeling that she would be like that.

On the other hand, at least Dante now knew what he would look like if he were to ever be transformed into a woman. Dante stepped up to Dahlia and looked her over. Where had she come from? She wasn't a half-demon that was for sure. He stopped in front of her and she eyed him suspiciously. There was the possibility, as slim as it was, that Dahlia was half-demon and just didn't know it. Dahlia stepped back from the silver haired man. She didn't think there was anyone else in the world with her type of coloring and called out to her friend.

_Three…two…one…_Krad thought and waited to see a female version of himself appear. He clicked his tongue when she appeared and he sighed. What the hell was going on in that town? He hadn't left for more than four days and already clones of himself and Dante were appearing like there was no tomorrow. Krad chewed his lower lip as Azalea introduced them. Dahlia raised an eyebrow when Azalea said that Krad was there to rid the town of the demons and snorted. Kerria looked impressed as she circled Krad, looking him up and down.

"Ya know, Dahlia," Dante began, giving her an indifferent gaze, "just because Krad looks small and pathetic –"

"What?" Krad glared at Dante.

"Doesn't mean he is. He's the reason this town was doing so well until he left. So don't judge a book by its hair color."

"What?" Azalea, Dahlia, Kerria, Krad and Phim chorused, staring at the demon hunter.

Krad ran out of the alley when there was a scream. Up the street was a child that was being attacked by a demon. Krad cursed and ran up to it. He froze in his tracks when the demon was thrown off the child by an unseen force and then ripped apart. As far as Krad knew he was the only being that was able to do that. He looked around; trying to find out what it was that had saved the child but saw nothing, except empty streets and bare rooftops. There was something extremely bizarre happening in that town and Krad was determine to find out what it was.

Dante joined Krad, after telling the others to wait for their return. Dahlia and Kerria just scoffed, wanting a piece of the action but Dante had been firm in making sure they protected Phim and Azalea. He stared at the destroyed demon body and then at Krad. The blond looked grief stricken and Dante removed Rebellion from his back. Krad wasn't running towards the child to make sure it was okay and when Krad didn't do that, it made Dante antsy. There was a snicker that floated to them on the random breeze and Krad lowered his eyes.

"There's something wrong here, Dante," Krad said quietly. Whatever had just killed the demon with a power that mimicked his own was still around. He might be able to see it or sense it but he just knew that whatever it was, it was hanging around to see what they would do next.

Dante stared at the horde of demons that was rushing down the street but got the feeling that wasn't what Krad was talking about. Dante sighed. Just what he didn't need. To kill half a million demons before he could get some rest. He glanced over his shoulder as Dahlia and Kerria joined them. He frowned when he saw that Dahlia was holding dual pistols and Kerria had twin blades. What was going on there?

Krad raised his eyes and withdrew his blades. He was so sick of shit happening to him and wondered what he and Dante had done to deserve a fate like that. He asked Dahlia if Azalea was somewhere safe and the female replied that she and Phim were at their stronghold and Krad snorted. That stronghold would be destroyed very soon. But Krad knew he had to think about stopping the demons before they could get to the stronghold. He told Dahlia and Kerria to stay where they were and he and Dante rushed towards the hell creatures.

Dante slashed his way through and put Rebellion away. He fired out a full clip into the demons and wondered where the hell they had all come from. There was no way that Krad would allow that many demons to wander around. Was there another crack to hell? Is that how that Zuriel person was able to get out, as well? Dante looked up. "We got fliers!"

"On it." Krad leapt into the air. He jumped out of the way as a blade similar to his was thrown at the demon he was riding at that moment. The demon fell to the earth and Krad moved to the next one. He worked quickly to slay the air born demons so he could get back to helping Dante on the ground. Krad looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened. What the hell was going on?

Krad killed the last flying demon and landed on Dante's shoulders, putting up a shield as a rain of white feathers hailed from the sky. Dante stared at them. It wasn't possible for that amount of feathers to attack them and he looked around as they waited for the feathers to desist. The feathers disintegrated as soon as they hit the shield and Dante frowned slightly, trying to see through them. He had seen something similar two years ago when Krad had forced his feathers down the demon's throat to rip it apart. What could possibly be able to do something like that? Krad snapped at Dante to worry about it later as the storm stopped and Krad lowered the shield. He gritted his teeth when he saw that the feathers that missed them didn't do a thing to the demons that were surrounding them.

Krad panted slightly. Having to keep a shield up like that took a lot of mental focus and Krad was still a little worn from the previous day. He was pissed off, though and even Dante had picked up on that. The half-demon reloaded his guns and tried to keep the demons at bay as Krad cut his hands. He tensed at the sweet scent. "_Cruento imbre_," Krad said and the blood that was on his hands began to defy gravity.

Krad briefly asked himself if he was insane and then decided he was as he screamed the words of Latin, hissing slightly as more of his blood was pulled up from his body and into the sky. In the air it rolled together and emitted a bright crimson light before it exploded and droplets of his blood rained around them. Krad quickly healed his wounded hands and pulled out his blades. There would be more demons after that load. That was, of course, just the scouting party.

Dante watched as the demons dropped around them like flies. He glanced up at Krad, the blond still on his shoulders and with his blades out. Dante wasn't a moron. He knew that lot of demons was just to test their strength and Krad was still pissed off about whoever had fired the feathers at them. Dante was worried. A pissed off Nephilim would never end well. It didn't end well for Dark and whoever was mimicking Krad wasn't going to survive much longer, either. Not once the Nephilim had whoever it was.

"So, you wanna take the thirty thousand on the left or right?" Dante asked as he stared at the creatures that were running towards them.

* * *

End Chapter V.


	6. Inner Demons VI

**~Inner Demons~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

* * *

By the time they had wiped out the demons, Dahlia and Kerria were exhausted. Together the two humans had managed to take out a thousand demons and Dante was slightly impressed. They had spent most of the time dodging the attacks and that was a costly mistake on their part. Having to fight out thousands of demons and protect two humans was just annoying. Dante honestly couldn't understand why they wanted to get involved if they were just going to be a hindrance.

Both half-breeds had sustained damage and Krad had to put up his shield a further three times and Dante could tell the blond was nearing his limit unless he released his wings. The street was piled with the corpses of the demons had piled up in the streets and even Dante was feeling the effects of the battle. There had to have been a crack near that place. It was the only explanation for so many demons. Unless they were on a hell gate but Krad and Dante would've picked up on that.

Dante walked over the pole that Krad was leaning against. He knew the shield would've been a bitch to continue bringing up and the feathers were probably harmless but Dante was aware that Krad wasn't going to take that chance. Azalea, Phim and a few other people came out of the alley to help Dahlia and Kerria to the stronghold. Krad's figure trembled and Dante went to pick the blond up. Krad had other ideas as he pushed away from the pole and stumbled after the humans. Dante raised an eyebrow and glanced up the street.

In front of the setting sun stood a solitary figure. It would seem their show of power had been witnessed by the one that most likely responsible for it and Dante wanted nothing more than to kill that bastard. He didn't, though. He was actually more worn out than he let on and knew he wouldn't have the physical or mental strength to take down the demon that was mocking them with its presence. He followed after Krad. Was that Zuriel? Dante frowned slightly.

The stronghold was a shabby, rundown, most likely out-of-business convenience store that was well supplied. Krad grabbed a first aid kit and went into the bathrooms, peeling his clothing from his body. Azalea followed him and gave him a hand. She flinched at the claw marks that adorned Krad's usually flawless skin. She opened the kit and got out the antiseptic cream, smearing it over the wounds. Krad gripped the porcelain sink and screamed in pain.

Dante lied on one of the checkouts and opened an eye as Krad's screams rang out through the store. The others that were talking together about a plan to take out the leader stopped and everyone just listened. Parents covered their children's ears and Dante sat up. What the hell was that woman doing to the Nephilim? It almost sounded like she was torturing him. Dante's eyes slid over to Dahlia and Kerria as they spoke to a handful of people. He listened into their conversation over the screams of Krad. It seemed that they were going to try and take out Zuriel and the witch that was with him instead of waiting for Krad to get better.

Dante closed his eyes when they looked at him. Dahlia was making it known that she didn't trust him as she had seen him get attacked by a few demons and he was no longer bleeding. Dante thanked his demon blood for that. By that rational, Kerria said that neither him nor Krad could be trusted as Krad had probably brought a demon with him. Dante raised an eyebrow and jumped to his feet, joining the group. His eyes glanced at each person. They were just normal people. How could they be so…judgmental after what he and Krad just did for them? He asked them and Dahlia rolled her eyes.

Kerria explained that the best way to get their trust was to kill a few demons. _A few?_ Dante's mind raged. _You bitch! You were there! You saw how many there were. I saved your fucking ass more than once, too._ Dante shrugged and went back to the checkout counter, jumping onto it. He glanced at the windows of the front of the shop and saw they had been painted over with black paint. There were demons hanging around outside but none of them came through. Zuriel had a tight hold on them it seemed.

Krad stumbled out of the bathroom, leaning heavily on Azalea. She lied him down on one of the blow-up mattresses and got him a bottle of water. Krad sat up and thanked her for everything she had done for him and opened the bottle, drinking its contents. Dante got off the counter and joined Krad, crouching down beside the blond and looking at the scratch on his cheek. He told Krad to get some sleep but Krad shook his head and Dante damned his stubbornness.

Krad _had_ to rest and so did Dante but neither of them trusted the two humans that had decided they were going to be in charge. Dante kicked his boots off and placed his coat over Krad as he lied behind the blond, who turned onto his side. They heard a scoff of disgust from either Dahlia or Kerria; they didn't care which and closed their eyes. There certainly was something strange about the two that resembled the half-breeds but they couldn't figure out what.

Krad whispered to Dante about the demons outside and Dante nodded. Krad sought out Dante's hand and laced their fingers, wanting a little extra comfort. Something was scaring him and something bad was going to happen. They tried to fall into a light slumber but the exhaustion made that impossible. Both half-breeds fell into a state of unconsciousness. Their bodies just wanted to heal and they needed that to happen but they also knew that the demons would probably attack while they incapacitated. Though, at that moment, Krad didn't care. It just felt good to let go, even if it was for only a little while. If those people wanted him to protect him, he would need to be well rested but he doubted that was going to happen and he knew Dante felt the same way.

Dante shifted as he slipped into a normal cycle of sleep. _Am I sitting down?_ With great difficulty, Dante forced his eyes opened and looked around the storeroom he was being held in. Krad was beside him, head hanging forward and blood dripping from his mouth. In front of him stood Dahlia and Kerria, Azalea was being restrained in the background and Dante raised an eyebrow. Now what was going on? All they had done was go to sleep. It wasn't their fault that they were worn out from protecting those inconsiderate fucktards.

Krad hissed as another punch was landed on his gut. He raised his head and glared at Dahlia. The glare disappeared and he smirked, taunting her. She punched him across the cheek and he spat out the blood that was in his mouth, still smirking. Dahlia demanded to know where they were and Azalea cried out that Krad didn't take them. Dante frowned slightly. What the hell was going on? Krad shrugged at Dahlia's question and the woman narrowed her pale eyes.

"Oh, you're awake now," Kerria stated.

Dante gave her a cocky grin. "How could I not wake up with you standing in front of me in a white leather suit? That's hot."

Kerria narrowed her eyes as well and punched Dante, splitting his lip. "Don't act so cocky, freak. Where did you take them?"

Krad sighed and dissolved the rope that bound his hands behind him. He caught Dahlia's fist and she gasped. Dante smirked and snapped the rope around his wrists, getting to his feet and standing over the blond woman that was trying to torture him. "What are you two nut jobs on about? Krad and I haven't taken anyone. In case you hadn't noticed, we were _passed_ out. We couldn't do anything even if we wanted to. So how about you stop attacking us and tell us what happened."

"You demons!" some woman shrieked from the entrance to the storage room. "You stole my babies from me! I know it was you!"

Dante and Krad frowned and glanced at each other. "Excuse me?" they asked.

"The two of you stole my children! You ran off with them! Where did you put them? Did you kill them?" The woman was hysterical and the half-breeds were more confused than ever.

"I would _never_ harm a child. I think you've been mistaken," Krad said. "Not even Dante would sink that low. After the hell we went through with the battle between those demons stealing your children was the last thing on our minds."

"What Krad says is true, Leslie," Azalea soothed. "He would never hurt anyone in this town. Krad!" Azalea's dark eyes widened when he saw the blond punch Dahlia.

"Fucking bitch! If you ever raise your hand to me again, I'll remove it and shove it up your ass." Krad didn't care that Dahlia was female. He had just healed from the battle; the last thing he wanted was to pass out again so he could heal from the attacks she landed on him. He looked at Azalea and apologized. He thought he had a right to be pissed off. No-one liked to be woken up because of a baseball bat to the face and he was certain that his cheek was fractured.

"Okay, he'll hurt someone that hurts him first. But your children adore Krad. I've seen them when he was living here, Leslie. Calm down and tell us _exactly_ what happened." Azalea freed her arms from the man that held them and led the sobbing woman over to the chair that Dante had been tied to.

"I heard Melanie and Thomas laughing, so I woke up. I didn't think anything of it when I saw Krad keeping them amused. But then that monster placed some sort of sleeping spell on them! Then that silver haired devil picked up Thomas and they disappeared!"

Krad raised an eyebrow. "Melanie and Thomas? Oh, I remember them! But, Leslie, if we were meant to have taken your children, why did you find us still passed out? It was fucking obvious we hadn't moved in hours! We didn't even wake up when you idiots were tying us up. So chances are your children are dead since you decided to beat us instead of _thinking_."

Kerria scoffed and gulped when Krad glared at her. Dante smirked. "Yup. That's what I expected. Beat the crap out of us and let the real demons get away. Morons. Come on, Krad. We had better go save them and this town. Unless you've changed your mind?"

Krad continued to glare at Kerria. It softened and he tilted his head to the side. "No, I gotta kill Zuzu before he kills those children and drinks their blood. I gotta quit drinking." Krad rubbed his temples and walked out of the storeroom. He picked up a bottle of soda and a pack of pain killers. He took four of the capsules and glanced at Dante when the half-demon joined him. "I think we need to head to the outskirts and into the mines."

"You're kidding, right?"

Krad finished his soda and threw the bottle out. "Dante, they're generic bad guys. Where the fuck else did you think they would hang out?"

"Good point."

* * *

"Whoa! That thing has one hell of a deadly recoil on it!" Krad stared at the silver pistol in his hand that had almost blown him through a wall.

"Damn it, Krad! Stop wasting my bullets to shoot spiders!" Dante snatched Ivory from Krad's hand and gently stroked the weapon. "I'm sorry you had to be handled like that, baby." He glared over his shoulder at the Nephilim. "Can't you kill them with a look or something, like you do with the demons?"

"They're spiders, Dante!" Krad brushed himself off and they continued through the shafts of the mine. "Just because _I_ think they're evil doesn't mean they are. So, no, I can't."

Dante walked beside the blond. "And you aren't using your feathers because…?"

"Because that's just stupid! Why would I throw an explosive feather at a spider and crush us? Or why would I throw a fire feather and burn us? Are you retarded?"

Dante narrowed his eyes. "But you'll shoot one of the creatures with a bullet that's three times the size of them? Isn't that a bit of an overkill?" Dante shot a demon through the head and Krad ripped one apart with a look.

"Right and what you did to those bats _wasn't_? You used Ebony, Ivory _and_ Rebellion on them! They were defenseless animals and you slaughtered them like it was going out of fashion!"

Krad ran up to a group of three demons and withdrew his blades, hacking the creatures to death. "And a spider _isn't_ a defenseless animal?" Dante inquired as pulled Rebellion off his back and cut a demon that was behind him in half.

"Are you kidding me? Have you ever tried to a kill an SFW with a shoe or a can of Raid? The only thing that would work on those creatures would be a gun!" Krad spun out of range of a demon's grasp and cut its hand off. He shoved a blade through the monster's heart and glared at Dante.

"What the fuck is an 'SFW'?" Dante replaced Rebellion with Ebony and Ivory, shooting the two demons that were in front of Krad.

"Sydney Funnel Web. Those fuckers are more aggressive than any bat I've ever seen. And they're damn hardy, too!" Krad tripped one demon and stabbed a blade into its chest. He kicked another across its deformed jaw and into the line of Dante's bullets.

"You've been to Sydney?" Dante fired into the shadows and took out the demons that were waiting there. "What was that like?"

"It sucked ass. I preferred Perth. Less asshole to deal with." Krad glared at the remaining demons, a grand total of five and they ripped apart. He flicked the blood off his blades and put them away.

Dante walked up to Krad and looked down at the blond. "What…was the purpose of that conversation?"

Krad shrugged and the pair continued walking, taking a left at the fork. The half-breeds exclaimed at the smell of methane and held their hands to their noses. Subsequently they began blaming the other for taking them down that path. Their discussion got more vulgar and more profuse the further down the shaft they went. They froze when they saw someone stopping them for going any further and Dante groaned. What the hell was she doing there?

"Hey, Lady. What brings ya?"

Lady smirked and her mix-matched eyes flickered over to Krad. "You know that portals to hell grab my interest. Who's the chick?"

"Portals to hell grab your attention?" Krad asked. "Where the fuck where you two years ago, then? Actually, it was probably a good thing you weren't around. One less skank to worry about. And I'm male, bitch." Krad searched her eyes as she glared at him. "Go home to your daddy, little girl. Oh wait! He's in hell!" Krad raised an eyebrow when Lady pulled out a gun. "I wouldn't do that. With all this methane around, you'll die as well."

Lady lowered her weapon. "Who is this brat, Dante and why are you hanging around with it? I thought Patty was bad enough!"

"This is Krad and I would strongly advise that you don't piss him off. He's not in the best mood when it comes to females at the moment. Get down!"

Krad released his wings and covered Lady as darts shot towards them. They ricocheted off the pearly feathers and Krad glared down the shaft at the asshole that was doing it. There was no aura to pick up and there wasn't anything down there. It was like a rerun of the incident at the train station. Krad stood and Lady stared at him like he was a monster.

"I just saved your fucking ass and you think I'm a monster? Go fuck yourself." Krad grabbed her arm and pushed her towards the exit. "Get out of here. You'll do nothing but hinder us."

"Angels are real?" Lady asked, staring at the feathered wings that were being retracted. That couldn't be right. If angels existed why was Dante having to fight the demons that were crawling their way out of hell? Why were she and Trish doing the same? Why weren't the angels doing something to stop it? It had to be illusion. There was no way possible that that brat was an angel.

"I'm not an angel. I'm a Nephilim. And yes, there is a difference. As to all your other questions, I'm sure we can worry about them later. Right now, would you piss off and let us do our fucking job?"

Dante raised an eyebrow. If anything, he might be able to see a catfight break out between the two of them. He didn't want Lady in way of harm and against a demon like Zuriel; he doubted she would be of any use. She might've been able to take out the witch that was with him. Dante assumed that was going to be his job as he didn't want to get between family and their feuds. Plus he was sure that Krad had a few uncle issues to work out.

Lady glanced at Dante. What the hell was a 'Nephilim'? The demon hunter owed her a lot of answers when he got back. She had actually shown up there because she was following a suspicious looking woman that looked half dead. The half-dead woman seemed to be trailing some guy that Lady knew was a high level demon. With an aura as powerful as his was he couldn't be anything less. Lady had followed the half-dead woman to that town and she heard talk about a pretty blond boy that had helped the town a great deal. Lady would admit, she knew about that town and the rut it had been in for half a century, and when she heard about what that person had done, it was nothing short of a miracle.

Lady shifted and looked at the blond that was with Dante. Was that the same pretty blond boy that had helped the town rise again? The blond stared over his shoulder at her. _What unusual eyes. And here I thought mine were pretty awesome._ Lady decided to leave before the angel decided to turn against her. She could always interrogate Dante when he got back to the office about what was _really_ going on. It seemed that the two males had some history together but she doubted they went to hell and back, like she and Dante had.

Krad half-smirked at Lady's thoughts. Jealousy could be such a cruel thing in someone that could be so adorable. He glanced at Dante and nodded. They had to continue as waiting for the woman to leave had cost them five minutes they didn't really have to spare. And considering Lady hadn't blown up the entire mine meant that there were no demons down that shaft. It was probably just the witch and Zuriel. The half-breeds walked in silence.

"Do you smell that?" Krad asked softly, frowning in thought.

"Yeah and that's disgusting, Krad! What the hell did you eat?"

"Not that, dipshit! That."

"Is that…sandalwood and jasmine?"

"It's creepy that you know that."

Dante glanced at Krad. "How do _you_ know it then?"

Krad inhaled the scent deeply. "It used to be what I smelt like before I changed over to vanilla and rose. And – what the fuck is that?"

Dante and Krad stopped dead in their tracks as they stared at the two people waiting for them. It wasn't the witch and Zuriel. It wasn't a pair of demons. It wasn't their deceased parents or brothers. What stood before them sent a chill down their spines and made Dante reach for Ebony and Ivory and Krad for his blades. What kind of sick joke was that? Two pairs of glowing gold eyes met each other; the same for the silvery-blue ones.

"What the fuck?" all four of them said as they jumped out of the way of the attacks. "Who are you?"

Dante glared at his perfect clone. Perfect in every way, even down to his personality. There was an air of cockiness around the silver haired man and he even had the same demonic aura. Dante stared. It really was like looking into a mirror and they half smirked at the other. "You're one handsome devil. But there's only enough room on this earth for one of us!" Dante's eyes widened as the other Dante called Rebellion off his back. _That's not possible!_

Krad stood beside Dante. "You know what they say, Dante. We are our own worst enemy." The other Krad giggled. "So, whataya say we take them down?"

"You make it sound so easy," Dante and Krad chided, forcing the other two to glare at them. It was going to get confusing quickly.

* * *

End Chapter VI.


	7. Inner Demons VII

**~Inner Demons~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

* * *

Dante glared at Dante. Krad smirked at Krad. The other two were wearing the same clothing as their counterparts. It was impossible to tell them apart. Dante could mimic Dante perfectly, even down to the witty one-liners. Krad danced around Krad and even had his tantrums down to an art. Krad played on Dante's weaknesses and enhanced them, just as Krad did. Krad growled but so did the other one. Who was who? Krad couldn't tell himself from the other and hoped to god they didn't share some sort of link, otherwise they were fucked.

Dante and Krad landed back-to-back and they had flashbacks to two years ago. They were in a frightening similar situation and it was beginning to get a little scary. Of course, Krad wasn't fighting his exact double back then. Of course his brother wasn't something that wasn't scary to face on the battlefield but at least Dante could pretend he was fighting Vergil. Krad assumed it was a good thing he had so much disdain that he directed towards himself to make the battle a little easier on him.

Krad glanced over his shoulder and looked between the two silver haired men. "Which one of you is the real one?"

The one standing back-to-back with Krad smirked. "I am."

Krad glanced at the one standing in front of the Dante. "Fucked if I know!"

Krad turned around and shoved the Dante that was standing behind him towards the real one. At least he had a way of knowing who was who when it came to them. Krad looked at Krad and sighed. _I might as well fight my inner demons_, he thought as he charged at himself. His fist connected with an abdomen. Unfortunately, one connected with his. He coughed and stepped back as did the other Krad. He turned the blade in his hand, preparing for a downward slash and so did the other Krad. Krad growled.

Dante and Dante watched the display between the two blonds. They glanced at each and smirked. "Twenty bucks says mine beats yours," they said.

Krad blocked and parried attacks. He danced around Krad and giggled softly. It was good to challenge someone that could match him perfectly. He flipped and twisted around, giving a show of his authority. Krad didn't like that, though. His steps were perfectly timed with Krad's. Shallow cuts were made and the two half-demons tensed at the scent of the pure blood that was pouring from one of them. Krad touched his chest and narrowed his glowing eyes.

Another attack that was blocked. Krad knew his moves too well. He had to change it up. Was he the original Krad or was he the phony one? He couldn't remember anymore. Dante and Dante had lost track of who was the real one. With all the gold, white and touches of silver from the blades it was hard to keep up. The way they twisted and twirled and flipped…it was a nightmare. Dante thought that dealing with one hormonal catastrophe was bad enough, now he had two. The same thoughts went through Dante's mind, too.

Shirts were sliced from their elfin forms and they stood where they were. Blood dripped from their blades as they glared at each other. Krad charged again and attempted to trip Krad. His shin met air as Krad leapt over him and landed soundlessly on the floor. There was a smug smirk and a quiet growl. Krad didn't have time to deal with that! He had children to save. In his momentary break of concentration he was brought back to reality as Krad stabbed a blade into his chest.

"Krad!" The two Dantes ran to the blond.

Krad's head snapped up and Dante stepped back, both of them. Krad's eyes shimmered blue and fully changed as he released his wings. His blood splattered around them. The other Krad's eyes also shimmered into sapphire and he released his wings. "You know what the one thing that sucks about being someone's clone is?" Krad asked, enjoying the confused look on Krad's face. "The original is always destined to win!"

Dante groaned as he watched Krad. He was beautiful when he was happy but the blond was downright fucking _sexy_ when he was pissed off and he exchanged a glance with his mirror image. Dante watched with interest as Krad used his wings to deflect feathers and the little spat came to end when Krad spun around and delivered a cut to Krad's abdomen that nearly severed the blond in two. Dante pulled out Ebony and Ivory and unloaded their clips into Dante. Dante wrinkled his nose up as Krad plunged his hand into the chest of himself and destroyed the heart.

Dante looked at himself and sighed sadly. It was a pity that it had to be him that he had to kill. He was one good looking devil but without a doubt that Dante was just as broke as he was and wouldn't have the twenty bucks that was owed to him. Dante reloaded and blew half a clip into his head just to be on the safe side. He re-holstered his girls and checked Krad over to make sure the blond wasn't going to die anytime soon. When he saw that Krad was going to live for an even longer amount of time, he was satisfied and looked at the clones.

"How was that even possible? They're flawless replicas." Dante looked at his twin's damaged face, which hadn't healed over and neither had any of the other wounds.

"Let's find Unkee Zuriel and ask him." Krad retracted his wings and flicked his hair over his shoulder. He put his weapons away and Dante frowned.

Dante knew that the weapons were angelic magic but he never thought he would see them be absorbed into Krad's back. It must've been nice to always have your weapons on you and never get picked up for it. Dante looked at the wound on Krad's chest. He lent down and gently lapped at the blood that was flowing less steadily from it. Krad's head fell back and a sigh of pleasure left his lips. If Dante kept it up, he would force the demon spawn to fuck him quickly before they went and saved the children. Krad pushed Dante away and shook his head. It wasn't he time but at least Dante would have a bit of extra strength from his blood.

Krad turned and Dante stood beside him. They looked down the shaft and a cackle floated up to them. They groaned and started walking again. The methane was gone. Krad looked around. He couldn't believe that he didn't notice it earlier. He assumed he had grown used to the smell but it was completely gone. It would explain how Dante was able to blow himself to hell and not take the rest of them with him. Krad rolled his shoulders. He had a bad feeling and so did Dante.

They came to the end of the shaft and raised an eyebrow. Had they gone the wrong way to begin with? They stepped back when bodies fell to their feet. Azalea, Dahlia, Kerria and Phim. All of them were dead and had the same wounds the clones did. Dante scoffed. He figured they were clones when he first saw them. The resemblance they held to him and Krad was just too uncanny for them to be humans. Krad crouched down and softly moved Azalea's hair off her face. It was a pity she was a clone. He really liked her. She was nothing like Dahlia was.

Krad said a little prayer for her, even though she had no soul to save. It just made him feel better to know that he couldn't save her, even if he wanted to. He stood up and looked over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow. Dante pulled out his guns and fired at the two standing there. He raised an eyebrow when the bullets ricocheted off them. The man cockily flicked off some lint and stepped forward. Dante took in the smart suit he was wearing. Royal blue, pinstriped. It looked expensive and he couldn't wait to see that asshole's blood ruining it.

Zuriel's short black hair was pulled into a neat ponytail at the nape of his neck. His piss yellow eyes gazed at them with boredom and he turned to the witch that was with him. She looked like she had been conjured up from hell recently. Loose skin hung from her bones. Her eyes were sunken and held no light to them at all. They were clouded over with death and Dante could tell that Krad pitied her. She was probably responsible for him being human and he showed her compassion. Typical!

"So, Unkee Zuzu…" Dante snickered at the nickname and received a glare from Zuriel. "Wanna tell me why you attempted to kill me with another me?"

Zuriel shrugged. "I thought it would be fun to see my favorite nephew get wounded by a Nephilim that was created instead of born. He almost had you, too. Don't deny the fact. My clones were nearly flawless. I just didn't count on you drawing strength from _that_." He wiggled his fingers in Dante's direction and the half-demon sneered at him. "Live it up while you can, son of Sparda. While I may not be able to kill the half-breed you've grown some sort of _affection_ for, I can still kill you."

Krad snorted then broke out into full laughter. He doubled over, holding his abdomen. Dante stared at the blond like he was crazy, Zuriel glared and the witch just gazed at nothing but probably seeing something that was naked to the their eyes. Five minutes later, Krad calmed himself down and looked at Zuriel, tears running down his cheeks. "Over _my_ dead body!"

Krad laughed again as Zuriel appeared in front of him. Dante pulled Rebellion off his back as the demon took the Nephilim by the throat. It didn't stop Krad's laughter, which was being choked out. Dante blocked a dart that was thrown at him and glared at the witch. Her head rolled from side to side in a sort of wave motion as her eyes glanced around unfocusedly. Krad hissed out 'fuck you Zuzu' and was thrown to the back wall of the shaft. The blond stood up and brushed himself off immediately.

"Why do me when you can fuck that disgusting half-cast there again." Zuriel smirked as the two half-breeds glared at him. "Your moans were heard in hell, Krad. You, the son of Gabriel, son of my _brother_ begging a half-breed like that to fuck you. It was the vilest thing I ever had to listen to. Watching him drink your blood made me want to vomit. Seeing the look of love in your eyes as you gazed at him through you _lust_…You call yourself a Nephilim? You've become nothing more than an unjustifiable slut."

Dante raised an eyebrow. That was harsh, considering that Krad had only just lost his virginity after keeping it for over fifteen hundred years. Krad just smirked at the demon. "Aww, it sounds like someone is jealous," he taunted in a babyish voice. "What's wrong, Unkee Zuzu? Upset that I _can_ get laid and you're forced to live a life of celibacy?"

Dante watched as Zuriel's face got more appalled the more Krad spoke. It eventually turned into rage when Krad mentioned celibacy. _Krad does know how to fuel a fire. I hope he knows what he's doing._ Dante glanced at the witch as she jerkily moved to stand beside her master. Through his anger, Zuriel grinned and mentioned that the witch was the one who had forced Krad to go human. Dante raised an eyebrow. So that was the woman he had to talk to for a potion to get Krad to release his sexual tension. Dante held his hands up defensively when Krad glared at him.

"I don't think so, Unkee Zuzu. _I_ locked my angel away. I wanted to know how Dante would deal with me being human. Sylvia was a demon with a death wish. What she said about you was true, though, Unkee. I didn't know what _idiot_ was destroying the town and causing shit to hit the fan but I should've known it would be you." Krad flicked his fringe out of his eyes but it fell back.

"Oh, really?" Zuriel asked in a disbelieving tone. "I'm sorry, nephew. That won't work. I know it was her doing that made you human. It worked with your anger and you have a lot of it. Anger at yourself for not being able to save those children, your mother or even your brother." Zuriel smirked when Krad looked away. "That's right, little nephew; I know. I know that you latched onto _that_ so you could have a way of working your anger out."

Krad could feel the tears stinging his eyes but as usual, unless he was asleep, he wasn't going to let them fall. He got angry instead. He turned his raging eyes to Zuriel and destroyed the witch that was standing next to her. She turned to dust with a whisper of 'thank you'. Krad gave his uncle a cruel smile. That jerk-off really thought he could use Krad's emotions against him? Krad shook his head. "Guess what, uncle? You're no match for me. You never were."

Zuriel's eyes widened as he got the feeling of razorblades running through his blood. "Damn it!"

Dante raised an eyebrow when Zuriel practically exploded. Krad looked around and went over to the right wall of the shaft. He pulled away a few planks of wood and coughed, sticking his head into the small hole. He called out to Melanie and Thomas. He assured them it was really him and they cautiously moved towards the glowing eyes they saw in the darkness. They came into the light and looked at the one that had kidnapped them.

Krad smiled at them. "Come on. We need to get you home. Your mother is worried sick."

* * *

Dante was on the bed, hands behind his head and his eyes closed as he listened to the shower. Krad had been in there for the past hour, trying to scrub everything that happened in the mine off him. Dante knew that demons lied; he knew it better than most. He also knew they told the truth, especially when it would cause more damage than a lie. It seemed that what Zuriel had said about Krad's anger had been the truth. Dante wanted to ask the blond about it but knew it wasn't any of his business.

It had taken them over an hour to get out of the mine, after Dante got them lost. Melanie and Thomas had been more mature than the adults had been about getting them out of there. They made sure to tell their mother about it, too and Leslie had eyed them strangely. Krad jumped right into blaming everything on Dante being a retard. Dante just shrugged and smirked as he turned and left the convenience store. He went to the hotel, which was shot to hell at the front but the rooms were still in tact. Krad joined him half an hour later and crawled into the shower. Dante had already cleaned himself and was lazing about in a towel.

Dante sat up and left the room, doing across the hall. He invited himself into Krad's room and went into the bathroom. Removing the towel, Dante pulled back the curtain and stepped in. Krad glared at him but Dante wasn't expecting anything else. Krad didn't have a problem with his anger. Dante wasn't stupid when it came to emotions. He slid his hands down Krad's arms and laced their fingers, kissing the back of his head. It didn't surprise Dante when Krad pulled away and told him to get out and go back to his own room.

Dante narrowed his eyes and turned the shower off. He pulled Krad out of it and grabbed a towel, drying the blond's hair. Krad fought against him. Dante knew he should've just gone back to the Devil May Cry as Lady would be waiting for him to explain everything that had happened. Her curiosity could wait until Krad had found a way to deal with his emotions. If anything, Vergil and Krad had a lot in common. Vergil preferred a cold wall to hide behind and Krad hid behind a wall of anger or serenity. Dante cried out in surprise when he got an elbow to his cheek and Krad's eyes glowed at him angrily. _Damn it! Why do I always forget to watch what I'm thinking?_ Krad scoffed and snatched the towel from Dante, wrapping it around his waist and stepping into the room.

Dante looked at the mark on his cheek in the mirror and groaned. He decided he was going to stop helping Krad. Every time he helped the Nephilim, he received more wounds from the blond than from the demons or whatever else they were fighting. Dante came to the conclusion that Krad was more violent than any demon he had ever met. Krad pulled on a pair of jeans as Dante walked out of the bathroom, wrapping the towel around his hips again. He saw that the blond had already brushed his hair and plaited it.

Dante opened the door as the woman that accused them of kidnapping her children was about to knock. He looked over his shoulder. "You've got a visitor."

Leslie blinked as she tried to take her eyes off of Dante's body. "Um…I just wanted to thank you, Krad. For bringing my children back to me and putting me in charge of the restoration for the town. I don't know why you think I would be good enough to do that but thank you."

Krad stood beside Dante and smiled softly. "You're welcome, Leslie. We'll stay here for the night and be gone in the morning. Is there anything else we can do for you?" Krad's eyes slid over to Dante and he smirked.

Leslie looked Dante over and the half-demon got a sinking feeling. Before he could yell at Krad, Leslie had taken hold of his wrist and was dragging him down the hall. "Hey! Let go of me! This is rape!"

"It's just surprise sex, Dante!" Krad called as he closed the door with a giggle.

Krad lied on the bed and closed his eyes. He felt like hell but thankfully, he no longer smelt like it. His eyes opened and he laughed when there was a scream of horror from down the hall and Dante shouting 'no means no, woman'. _That's what you get for placing me and your brother in the same category, bunny._ Krad smirked and turned onto his side, closing his eyes again. It felt good to sell Dante out to Leslie and hoped he could find another way of doing it.

Another scream. "I fucking hate you, Krad!"

"The feeling is mutual."

After a few minutes of silence, Krad fell asleep. He wasn't going to tell Dante but he was dreading the upcoming year. Again, he would have to ask to Dante's help and seek the man's protection. There were going to be times where Krad wouldn't mind that but there was something terrible that was going to happen as well. He was grateful to know where Dante's alliances lied but that could also be a bad thing, even if Krad wasn't sure how.

Krad woke the next morning and stretched. He pulled on a shirt, redid his hair and walked out into the hall. Dante had already left and Krad had transferred the money into Dante's account. Again, he made sure that Dante could only use it to pay off his tabs and when the half-breed had _finally_ done that – Krad hoped it wouldn't take him another six months – Krad would send him the money for the job. Jogging down the stairs, Krad froze when he saw a light behind him.

The light died off and Krad raised an eyebrow. What was his father doing down there? Krad hadn't seen him in five hundred years. "What's up, Dad? I know what next year is, so don't worry. I've been keeping track of these things. I'm going to be caught off guard again."

Gabriel nodded and gently ruffled Krad's hair. "I just wanted to tell you to be extra careful next year. It's the year of the Hunter's Moon, too and I'm sure you know what that means." Gabriel chuckled at his son's clueless face. "It means for the three days of the eclipse all hunters, powerful and weak, will have their abilities heightened and you'll be in danger. Can you trust Dante with your life?"

Krad lowered his eyes. He nodded. He knew he could count on Dante to protect him from anything and everything, except Dante's stupidity but that was bearable. "Of course I can. He's protected me when I needed him. Why? What do you know that you aren't telling me? Something bad is going to happen, isn't it? Hey, this is _my_ life on the line here! Your own son. You're not going to tell me, are you?"

Gabriel smiled. Krad was catching on quickly to what an angel can and can't do. Hell, just telling the blond the meaning behind the Hunter's Moon wasn't exactly something he was allowed to do but Krad had to be prepared for anything that could happen the next year around All Saints Day. He said goodbye to his son and disappeared the same way he arrived. Krad sighed and left the hotel. He smiled as he saw that the remaining people were helping each other and even the children were doing what they could to build the town back up.

Krad headed to the train station and saw a few people there. People stepping off the train and entering the town and very few people actually leaving. Krad smiled again. It was moments like that that made him grateful he was a Nephilim. He was around to witness the small acts of humanity but then again, he had to witness the devastating wars that usually came with them. Krad got his ticket and conversed with an elderly gentleman who was waiting for his son and grandchildren as he waited for his ride.

As they spoke, Krad thought about what his father had told him. With heightened abilities, even the stray dog that lived down the street from Dante's place of business would be a foe for Krad. He was going to be a walking target. The locomotive pulled up and the man's family stepped off just as Krad stepped on. He watched the reunion and shook his head. He found himself a seat and wondered how he was going to break the news to Dante about his visit next year. Krad crossed his legs, put his elbow on the small lip of the window and rested his chin lightly on his hand as he stared out the window.

Krad blinked and looked to the side when a child stood there, grinning at him. Krad smiled back and the kid sat down, starting to complain about how boring the ride was and Krad agreed. Without Dante to keep him entertained with his incessant stupidity, Krad found himself wanting to kill himself just to pass the time. _I'll just show up. I know Patty will be happy to see me._ Krad looked thoughtful as the child continued to bellyache about how annoying his parents were. _He's not going to be happy about it, though…_

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End.

I don't even know why I'm doing a third one, but "Lunar Eclipse" will be arriving shortly.

Also, sorry about all the mistakes that you've seen. I go over the chapters several times but I can't catch them all. I hope you enjoyed it!


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